Triggered
by Carter Casterwill
Summary: Not long after the Spiral war, Zhalia Moon's wall in her new apartment was attacked. Bring it back, the spear said. So, she does what anyone would do, she calls Delia Santiago. Emi Casterwill is The Forbidden Casterwill. When she joins the Foundation, she's instantly taken up into this crazy world of Delia's. So, that cause of one thing might just Trigger something else.
1. Familiarity with the unknown

Chapter 1

Familiarity with the unknown

It hasn't been too long since the Blood Spiral was defeated and the Huntik team was still regaining their strength. Den and Harrison were focused on their training while Sophie and Lok had many Casterwill meetings to attend and Dante was busy with his new job as a council member. Every foundation agent has something to occupy themselves with, considering that it's still too early for the damage caused by the battle, to be considered a minimum threat. However, Zhalia Moon had to deal with more than just her duties, such as the broken window at her new apartment, the spear stuck on her wall and the piece of cloth hanging lose through the hole it created, three words were written in it.

 _Bring it back!_

She knew very well who that was and the mere thought of confronting him again sent shivers down her spine much to her attempts to be brave. There is no doubt that he is back and that he will do everything in his power to get back what she had taken from him. Not wanting to burden the already troubled and busy foundation, she dialed the number of a person she thought she would never have to meet again, but the circumstances required her presence. She dialed the number and waited, until a rather deep serious female voice could be detected.

"Who is it?" the voice asked showing her lack of interest and annoyance but Zhalia remained indifferent

"Are you the third member of the clan of the Red dragons?"

"That depends of who wants to know my identity" the voice got stricter.

"I am Zhalia, Zhalia Moon. I am sure you remember me, just like you remember our deal"

"Indeed I do" the female suddenly got more interested

"He is back and I will need your help" Zhalia said in an equally strict tone. If he is back, then both she and the female's business are in danger and Zhalia has to do everything in her power so that he will never get it back. Gathering all her strength and suppressing the painful memories from being recalled, she took care of the mess in the house.

* * *

A girl with black hair, pale skin and obsidian eyes was walking around on the streets of Venice. To most, she was known as The Silent Girl. To herself, she was The Broken Girl. To her mother and her only friend, she was known as Emmaline Casterwill, Emi.

'Mom,' she thought, 'what's happening? Why is this going on? If only I could tell you about me being a Seeker, about my powers, about my titans. If only Dad was still alive.'

Emi's mother was named Sarah Casterwill. She had no idea of the Seeker world. She was only named Casterwill because of her late husband. She had black hair like her daughter. Other than that, Emi looked like her father.

Emi's father had been Thomas Casterwill. He was the one who had taught Emi the basics of being a Seeker, along with her first titan, a titan called Jacob the Adventurer. He looked like Emi, just with blond hair.

Emi sighed. Remembering her dad was just too painful. Now, her mom was never home. She struggled to support the both of them. Emi had tried to get a job, but she had gotten fired from each one of them. When her mom was home, it was like a little celebration. They laughed and tried to act like a normal family, which was not easy.

Emi had a few titans, but her favorite was Jacob the Adventurer. Her dad had given it to her just before he died. Jacob was good at tracking, like another titan she had tried to find called Kyho the Tracker but couldn't. Jacob was good at hiding too.

Emi was a Casterwill alright, but that doesn't mean the Casterwills liked her. She was what they called The Forbidden Casterwill. She hadn't had any contact with the Casterwills since she was 12, four years ago. The Casterwills just didn't like her. The only ones who didn't treat her like a disease were Lady Nimue and Vivian. She wondered how they were.

Emi sighed and run her fingers in Jacob the Adventurer's amulet. She walked away to a place she had heard about. A place called the Huntik Foundation HQ in New York, willing to join the foundation and use her powers to support the seeker world. She can't let her label keep her away from the world she belongs to forever.

* * *

After she hang up, the blond female known as Delia placed her hand at the shaved side of her blond hair and played with her earing. She was standing by the window of her old Japanese temple, watching the area, wearing her usual black leggings, black sleeveless shirt and red leather jacket, her katana always attached in her belt or an arm's length away the most. After all, her job's synonym is danger, a very unusual danger which was now calling to her. Her eyes having the shame silver color with her blade shone in the moonlight, pure interest could be traced in them and a familiar rush of adrenaline started to flow in her veins as she caressed the pointy edge of the blade.

"Dad, I am going out" she shouted not minding looking at a different direction, her eyes hardly fixed on the pale grey moon and a smirk tagged in the corner of her big pale lips.

"Where are you going Delia?"

"Business related" she simply said and her husky tone matched the coolness of the breeze which was blowing in the room from the window in which she was standing just a second ago.

* * *

"Man, I can't believe it! Finally it was about time! All this meetings just exhaust me!" Lok, the well-known oversized baby, complained.

"And isn't a mission more exhausting Lok?"

"It is but…maybe I was getting a little bored. It's all about repairing plans and stuff. I want to do something that will really help the foundation now"

"But you are doing something Lok, something very important for both the foundation and the Casterwills"

Sophie protested, but before she could continue, Den patted her in the shoulder.

"Shhh guys! You'll wake her" he said and pointing at Zhalia's sleeping figure at the corner of the private foundation jet. In fact, Sophie was glad he did so. She has to admit that those meetings have been draining a rather big amount of her energy, but she acknowledges her position and the duties that accompany it. However, she had to agree with Lok, a mission looked like a break from their struggle to stand back on their feet and the greatest part is that maybe they won't even have to fight. Guggenheim only spoke about signs of a titan, but no one is sure about what they have seen. And their mission is close to New York, so they might as well pay Dante a visit if he is not too busy.

"Why is she sleeping in the first place? This is really unlike her" Sophie asked curious

"She has been working hard you know, there has only been a month or two since then" Lok defensed his blue haired friend.

"It's not just that" Den interrupted, clearly concerned about his friend whom he considers a sister "She is really stressed out lately and on edge… I mean, more than usual. Something is bothering her"

"We should ask her" Lok suggested

"And you really think she is just going to tell us? You know her Lok; she is too stubborn to do that"

"Oh, right!" Lok agreed with his girlfriend's argue

The trio continued talking for a while and didn't notice how Zhalia was pressing nonstop buttons in her phone, sending a message to a number not familiar to them.

 _I have a bad feeling about this; we might need you sooner than I thought_

* * *

Emi knocked on the door of an apartment close to Central Park, having been informed it belongs to the head of the foundation.

'Please open.' She thought, 'Please open.' As if having heard her silent pleads, a man with black hair and an aged face opened the door.

"Who might you be?" He asked curious, confronting an unfamiliar face. Emi sighed and mentally smiled. Maybe this trip wasn't a complete waste. Something nagged at her though.

'Fake your last name.' She heard in her thoughts. She didn't know who that voice was from, but she listen to it anyways. Besides, she didn't know Metz's opinion about forbidden Casterwills, so just to be safe.

"I'm Emi Thoth. I was told to come to you because… I am a seeker" Emi said. The older man smiled warmly at her, noticing her discomfort and nervousness.

"Come in, Emi." He said, "I'm guessing your here to join the Foundation." Emi nodded. The man moved inside and gestured for Emi to come in. Emi stepped in the room and immediately relaxed due to the warmth and hospitality Metz provided her.

"It's nice to meet you, Emi. My name is Metz." Metz, said, but of course Emi already knew it.

"Nice to meet you too sir." Emi said. Metz smiled warmly at her again.

"Just Metz is fine." He said, "Now, tell me, Emi. Do you have any experience with titans?" Emi nodded. She pulled of Jacob's amulet.

"This is Jacob the Adventurer. He's one of my strongest titans. I have quite a few." Metz nodded.

"How did you become a Seeker in the first place?" Metz asked.

"My dad was a Seeker. He taught meal that I know." Emi said, "My mom has no knowledge of being a Seeker at all, though."

"Well, show me what you know." Metz said.

"Gladly."

* * *

"Break Spell!" Emi shouted.

"Overcast!" The Foundation agent called. An orange shield blocked her blue attack. Emi huffed.

"Brain... Bubble lift!" She called, picking up the red haired seeker.

'Dang it!' Emi thought, 'no forbidden powers! Curses Emi! No Brain Wave here. Not at HQ.' She looked back at Metz. He was studying her carefully, observing her every move. It has been an hour and yet, Emi has hard time keeping herself from casting forbidden spells. Finally, Metz spoke and signaled the end of the test.

"Well," he said, "you have potential. Welcome to the Foundation." Emi smiled out of gratitude, but the feeling in her gut grew worse.

* * *

The jet landed on Rhode Island, a small state of USA just besides New York and headed to the place where the titan's traces were supposed to have been witnessed. On their way there, Lok, Sophie and Den were lively as usual, with Sophie trying to maintain the topic of their conversation focused on the mission and the boys not taking it as seriously as she wished. Giving up with their immatureness, she shot Zhalia a pleading stare but received no answer by the blue haired female. Concerned, Sophie took a few steps back and reached Zhalia's side. She had to pat her shoulder to gain her attention, which she successfully achieved. Zhalia was now eyeing her with a glimpse of surprise in her eyes which vanished in an instant upon recognizing her teammate and friend.

"Are you ok Zhalia? You seem distracted. Are you tired?"

"No Sophie" she answered coldly and not looking directly at her, which only raised Sophie's concern. It's not unlike her to hide her worries or tiredness, nut Sophie's gut tells her otherwise and she trusts it.

"Zhalia, if it's something about the mission I believe you should let us know"

"I still don't know if it concerns the mission" she answered, her gaze fixed on the trees surrounding them

This forest of Rhode Island was a majestic sight, with the trees surrounding you and the different colors in their leaves, the melody of the flowing water of the river hitting gently the white rocks that surrounded it and the paths made of small stones in different shades of grey.

"Then what is it ab-"Sophie was cut by Den's scream when Lok pushed him aside and the girls used hyperstride to avoid a falling trunk. After all of them regained their balance and gathered close to each other, they confronted a huge cyclops, like it just jumped from a Greek mythology book, holding two enormous axes. His head was bald, his eye empty and his body had an abnormal sized waist while his muscles looked like they didn't fit in his flesh. The big brow above his eye was brown and it rose at the sight of the small humans in front of him. Lok hold back laughter.

"Why is he wearing a skirt?"

"Lok, that's not a skirt! It's ancient Greek warrior attire" Sophie corrected him as they jumped aside to avoid another hit by the cyclops's axes.

"That thing is huger than a colossus" Den pointed out and Zhalia who was by his side had to agree with him. This titan was too big, but it's too early to jump in conclusions.

The team called their titans immediately, but most of them returned to their amulets with one blow of the titan's axes. No matter how many spells the seekers fired to the titan, they didn't seem to affect it. After sometime, the titan started to melt and slowly change form to a Minotaur, the same size it had before.

The team was stunned but kept fighting him. They separated to different directions and shot spells at him, trying to keep their distance, which only lessened the power of their spells. The only titans left ere vigilante, Sabriel and Gareon. The titan kept changing forms every ten minutes to another Greek mythology being and when Medusa's turn came, Gareon was the only titan which could fight her without the worry of being turned into stone but soon had to return to his amulet, due to the blow of a spear a now human formed titan pierced him with. Now, he looked like a giant ancient Greek warrior with terrifying large human features.

The team was beyond exhausted and was considering the option of calling Metz to send more agents while Zhalia's suspicions got confirmed. They need the help of an expert to this kind of titan. She was about to pull out something from her pocket, but never did.

A piercing pain alarmed her neural system and made her scream at the top of her lungs. She fell a many meters away from the team and hi a trunk with her back, her breath got cut immediately as she fell on the ground hissing in pain. When she took a glance of her body, she noticed to huge and deep cuts. The titan must have hit her with the pointy edge of his spear when she let her guard down.

In the battlefield, Lok had fallen unconscious and Sophie was trying her best to keep a shield around the two of them while Den was trying to distract the titan. The trunks falling around them with every movement of the titan were making dirt rise from the ground and it penetrated their norslits, making breathing painful.

Zhalia felt her body heavy and with the last drops of strength remain in her system, she pulled a whistle at the shape of a dragon out of her pocket and blew in it. Not even a second after she did, a blond head passed besides her like a thunder and moved to Sophie's direction, swinging her katana so strongly, it cut the titan's hand which was about to smash Sophie's shield.

Then the female headed to Den and made sure he was ok. Using the trunks of the tees which were still standing in their place she jumped and avoided that titan's hits with an incredible speed and stabbed the eye of the warrior. After she backed off, the giant humanoid titan looked at her as if he was just pinched by a mosquito. The wounds she created did nothing to them. Den looked both at the titan and the girl with open mouth.

"H-How? Where the heck did you come from?"

The girl didn't reply and seemed to be deep in thought, trying to remember something and apparently didn't notice the titan heading to their direction. Den took a few steps away and seeing her keeping her position confused him. She looked like she could handle the titan, but why on earth is she just standing there?

Out of the blue, a smirk made its way to her lips as she lifted her katana and took some weird ninja position. Without averting her gaze from the titan's eyes, she strictly ordered.

"Distract him!" and Den obeyed. He had no idea who is this girl but she definitely knows what she is doing, that he could safely conclude. After he gained the titan's attention and started running to the woods. He looked behind him and in the splint of a second; the girl had caught up with them and was swinging her katana, until she pushed it in the titan's heel, causing him to actually scream in pain. Den had to run really fast by her side to not get smashed by the enormous body which fell on the ground and then vanished into a blue hue of energy and headed to a direction unknown to them.

Den immediately rushed to his team, having completely forgotten about the girl's existence and helped Sophie carry Lok. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he gasped upon noticing the absence of his sister.

"Guys, where is Zhalia?"

"I thought she was with you! And who was that girl?" Sophie asked now equally concerned with Den, but the mentioned female answered their questions.

"She is right here" she said as she approached them, carrying a barely conscious blood washed Zhalia in her back with ease. "As for me, I am your ally"

* * *

"Metz you wanted to see me?" asked Dante as he walked on his mentors office, not really surprised about his call, considering his work program, and noticed a new presence. "I see we have a new face here"

"Dante, this is Emi Thoth, she just joined the foundation, but this is not why I called you" Metz replied with a quite sad and nervous tone in his voice which made Dante concerned.

"What is it" he asked and his mentors sigh only raise his concern, while the new girl Emi was standing there with a nervous expression, her feeling was confirmed.

"You are not going to like this Dante. Promise me you will only sit out of the room and watch" Dante only nodded. He wanted to know more about what this was all about, but he trusts his mentor and will obey his orders no matter what is in that room.

After they passed a few corridors, they headed to one of the many rooms in the HQ of New York and out of the window of it; several figures could be recognized as his teammates. Dante gasped and lost his voice upon the sight of Zhalia's blood washed face, chest and waist and the nurse beside her, stitching up a huge cut, from her lips to her abdomen and another one from her shoulder to her pelvis. Lok was unconscious and Sophie and Den had minor cuts and their backs turned on him. He was about to enter but restrained himself remembering Metz's words, clenching his jaw and fists. Emi was watching the whole scenery with sadness in her eyes but it couldn't reach the one Dante was feeling. Dante looked at Zhalia for a while with a loving expression and then narrowed his brows.

"Who did this?" he asked not taking his eyes from the window, even though the nurse had closed the curtain. Metz was about to say something, something completely different than the answer which came from a person no one expected to see or knew.

"An abnormal" a deep female voice replied and when the trio turned their heads where it came from, they saw a tall, blond female with shaved her on the side and blade silver eyes, holding a katana and playing with it like it's lightsaber for five year olds. Metz and Dante were stunned. How did she get there so easily?

"What's an abnormal?" Emi asked out of curiosity, paying more attention to her words rather than her presence. Nor she, or anyone in the room had ever heard of such a thing and Emi was more than willing to find out, mentally comparing it with her ancient powers was unknown to the world. The girl's expression remained indifferent.

"They happen to be my specialty. I am Delia Santiago"

"Emi Thoth." Emi introduced herself and stepped forward to shake hands with Delia, clearly expressing her friendly intentions, but she just ignored it and looked at her obsidian eyes with her silvery blade ones, a gesture which discouraged Emi but also made her more eager to find out, what is an abnormal.

 **Irene Rays A/N: Hello to all my sexy beautiful aliens! How are you doing this lovely day in this lovely planet?**

 **Soooo, this is mine and Carter Casterwill's combined story and we both have an OC of ours. Mine is Delia Santiago, the mysterious skilled ninja girl.**

 **Really, how does she know Zhalia? Who is after her? What are the abnormal titans and what is the clan of the Red Dragon? Do you like our OCs?**

 **I am hoping you enjoyed the first chapter and that you have a wonderful day.**

 **Never forget to smile and stay awesome!**

 **Lots of love from Irene Rays~~**

 **Carter Casterwill A/N: Hello my lovely hot dogs! How are you today?**

 **Okay, this is Irene Rays' s and mine combined story. We both have an OC. Mine is Emi Casterwill, The Forbidden Casterwill.**

 **How doesnDelia know Zhalia? What is their deal? How was the person who attacked Zhalia's lovely wall? What does he/she want back? What is an abnormal titan? Why does Delia work with them? What is the clan of the Red Dragon? What do you think of our OCs? Are they good?**

 **I hope you like this story and tells us what you think by commenting! Thanks for reading!**

 ***smile* say awesome!**

 **With all Huntik and awesomeness,**

 **-Carter Casterwill**


	2. Another Version Of Normal

**Chapter 2**

 **Another version of normal**

Emi just stood there, eyeing Delia with an awkward smile, uncertain on whether she should draw back her hand or shake hers which seems to be attached at the tip of her katana. After a few moments of silence and Delia's discouraging emotionless look, Emi pulls away and shoots her a last smile. She doesn't know why Delia doesn't seem to be in a friendly mode, but let's better not mess with people's patience. No longer after she took a few steps closer to Metz, Metz and Dante exchanged a few nods and meaningful looks that Emi failed to understand and just stared at them confused. However Delia seemed to know exactly what this is about.

Dante approached Delia, eyes hardly fixed on her, especially focused on her hand lying at her katana, as if she was going to pull it out at any moment and clash their heads open. Now Emi could fully detect the reason of the tense atmosphere in the room. Dante considered Delia a threat, since she managed to enter, not any other safe house, but the foundation's HQ unnoticed. Emi had this feeling again. Her gut was telling her that this won't end up good; Dante had put his defenses up and was ready to act if necessary. Metz was now standing closer to her, putting his own body a few inches in front of hers protectively. Even though he is well aware of Emi being a seeker who can cast spells and call out titans, she doesn't have any field experience and Metz wants to make sure that her first battle will be an easier one for her.

What surprised Emi more than Dante's and Metz's positions was Delia's calm and indifferent expression. She even sighed out of indignation, seeing that Dante is taking so long to examine her. Her gut told her that this girl has something interesting but then again, the same goes for every person with secrets. She is a person with many secrets as well and somehow, she finds herself really keen on knowing Delia's. She must be an experienced seeker, that she can tell, and what's better than starting your seeker path with someone who can show you the right way by your side. After all, Metz said she needed a mentor. And not only she seems to know what she is doing, but judging by the looks on Dante's and Metz's faces, she has more knowledge about titans than her superiors. What really is an abnormal titan?

Delia, getting both amused by their priceless faces wit narrow eyes and clenched jaws and bored of the silence, she let out a rather deep voiced chuckle and she said something in German. Everyone's head turned to Metz, the only person fluent with that language, whose face relaxed and he immediately stepped closer to the girl.

"Don't tell me you are Fernando Santiago's daughter?" he asked with a glimpse in his eyes and a smile on his lips, earning a nod from the female. The elder's expression softened even more.

"Oh my, look at you! You are all grown up! How old are you now, 20? How is your father doing?" Dante and Emi were staring at the two of them confused, wondering how they know each other, especially Dante. He doesn't remember any Fernando Santiago. Delia's lip corner merely rose a bit.

"Yes I am 20 now and my father is doing well, our clan keeps serving our purpose just like it always did."

"Forgive me for interrupting this pleasant as it seems reunion, but would you mind enlightening us too?" Dante asked, less tense than before, but still remaining serious. Delia turned to look at him indifferent.

"Of course mister Vale. I am a member of the Red Dragon clan which originates in Japan but has members from all over the world. We have been loyal to the foundation since its very beginnings and our purpose is to keep… unnecessary trouble out of your way. And for Holy Dragon's shake, your friends wouldn't have been here if I hadn't saved them, you can at least feel grateful and drop those face which looks like your nostrils just detected a fart in the room!"

Emi was stunned. This girl seemed so calm and preserved; she did not expect her to be rude. She couldn't trace any sign of anger in her eyes, but she could tell that she actually was mad for some reason and it wasn't Dante's lack of gratitude. Dante was about to frown even more but restrained himself and calmed his senses.

"Very well then, thank you for your assistance" he uttered and Delia barelynodded. Emi could see her sigh when Metz and Dante were not looking. "But I believe that everyone here is curious to know what is an abnormal titan and why did it attack my team"

Emi looked at Dante and nobbed many times. This question was tickling the back of her head all this time and she really wanted to know the answer. Metz, who apparently knew the answer himself, signaled them all to sit down in the big green couches of the hall.

Delia sat on the armchair besides the couch that Metz and Emi sat when Dante sat on another couch at the opposite direction of Delia's seat to be able to get full vision of her expression's as she is talking. Delia eyed them all indifferent and heaved a sigh.

"So, an abnormal titan is what I called, the unnecessary my clan keeps seekers away from. An abnormal titan is, as the word itself might say, a titan that doesn't belong to any of the types of titans you know. They might be combinations of it, look like other kinds of titan, have similar origins with them or have completely different origins. They don't fight like normal titans and have unpredictable abilities. Each titan has its own unique ability, so we cannot categorize them. A common characteristic we have noticed in many abnormal is that they can reproduce, which results to the creation of more abnormal with more unique and unknown abilities. The titan your friends fought is an abnormal kind of a mixture of Draco and Lithic-titan. He would take forms of many creatures of ancient Greek mythology and constantly change, while its size was three times your Metagolem's." she paused and averted her gaze from Dante, who seemed really interested in the story and simultaneously deep in thought, to Emi, who was stunned. She believed that being the forbidden Casterwill is the weirdest and... Abnormal thing a seeker could hear, since even today there are many things not known about the Casterwill. But right now, not only she just officially became a part of the seeker world, but a whole new world not even seekers have heard of is opening up to her. She is really keen on finding out even more and sucks the knowledge out of Delia and in addition, she already feels connected to it. She is a forbidden Casterwill, an almost unknown kind of seeker to the Huntik world, and the same goes for Delia… well, she is not forbidden, but she is a member of this Red Dragon Clan, which also lies in the depths of the unknown. If she can train herself to become a seeker and not risk revealing her forbidden powers, Delia is the perfect mentor for her, that she has convinced herself about. If only she can convince Metz to join Delia. After all, she has seen all these abnormal, a little bit of forbidden magic won't surprise her or scare her away right? After Delia took in Emi's interested expression, she continued.

"There are many abnormal which we have failed to examine and still search for them, but that's another issue. Most of them hold a territory attack only if someone invades it when others can attack for no reason. Some of them have the need to eat unlike normal titans and others not. In your friends case, this titan is letting people get in his territory on purpose to trap them and satisfy his feeding needs. Their territories are had to be traced, since many of them are migrators and change it from time to time. Their transportation is also another very detailed subject, especially for the big sized titans. I am afraid I cannot provide more information both due to the complication of the subject and due to my position in the clan. Metz already knows about our existence and he was supposed to be the only one."

"You see Miss Santiago; it bothers me that my team runs into an abnormal territory. I understand that tracing them might be a difficult task but as you mentioned earlier, it is your job to keep them away from our business." Dante stated the question burning in his and his mentor's mind all along and justifying the serious expression still plastered on his face. Emi now felt lightly scared, the feelings in her gut getting stronger. Being a Casterwill gives her some kind of… weird feelings and help her sense danger around her and right now she believes that this is the reason of that bad feeling she had this morning. Not the test she went though, not the fear about revealing her identity, but the timing. She chose to join the foundation at a time when a new threat might appear and she is not even familiar with the other Huntik enemies, even though she kept herself aware of the events occurring in the Huntik world, she is about to witness something not even ordinary seekers were ready for. So why did she feel it durning the test? Delia's gaze hardened upon Dante's statement and her blade grey eyes felt like they were stabbing Emi.

"I was getting into that actually mister Vale. You see, us the Red Dragons have CI's all over the globe. They are something like trackers who have been trained to recognized territories. The fact that your friends entered someone's territory without anyone informing the clan about its existence there means that one of our Cis is not as loyal as they appear to be. In normal circumstances, after tracing a territory which is close to civilization or appears active movement that might be dangerous, we inform certain foundation council member's, Metz included, to avoid giving missions in these areas. The possibility of a mistake is out of the question, so I believe that we have a traitor among us. But don't worry your head about it, my clan will track him down and punish him accordingly" she finished her speech in a very professional tone and Emi couldn't help but wonder what will the punishment be. She has remained silent and simply listened to them, consumed by the interest of the matter. Metz was calmly attending them and mental noted a few questions he had. Apparently, Dante had a few similar questions and didn't bother to ask them, contrary with his mentor who kept them to himself, trusting the work of Delia's clan.

"Is that so...hmm… very well, I am certain that you will take care of the traitor and don't doubt your methods, however, I need to ask you if you would be kind enough to answer one more question?" Dante asked; his gaze hard and his arms crossed in his chest. Delia's gaze became equally hard, realizing that he is testing her somehow. Emi could now she a mental quarrel between two professionals and once again, she seems amazed by the way they keep their composure, calmness and rationality active. Even if she fails to understand the reason of this, since Metz has confirmed that Delia is an ally.

"It depends on the question mister Vale" Delia said, not taking her grey eyes from his amber ones, returning the sharp stare. She knows those competitions, she knows those tests and honestly, she doesn't care about winning them. She doesn't care whether he trusts her or not. The only thing she wants is to do her job and if this man has doubts, she won't waste much time clearing them off. She is not here to impress him or prove herself and the mere fact the Vale is wasting her valuable time is pissing her off. After all, she didn't bother questioning him, why is he doing so?

"If your CI indeed hadn't informed you, how did you know about the attack? Judging by the fact that you were there just in time to save my team, I am taking that you had known about it before it happened or you were just what they say passing by?" Dante finished, his voice dropping an octave at the last sentence. Delia's expression stayed indifferent while Emi had to suppress a gasp upon understanding what this stare competition was all about. Dante suspected Delia.

"I know your team member Zhalia. She said that she might need me, that's why I was on alert" she casually said, as if a red dragon knowing a seeker is something common, which is unlikely, considering that the amount of seekers who know about the existence of the Red Dragons can be counted with your hand fingers. This was the exact reason the trio was surprised, but Delia was getting bored of all these questions and especially Dante's silent accusation.

"Listen, I happened to meet her five years ago. She was fighting with an enemy of my own, which she wasn't supposed to, so I kept an eye on her. Fortunately she didn't have to face anything considering my world again, but this time she did and that's why she called me. Us red dragons have a spell way stronger than nimble fire, which allow us to transport ourselves to places really fast, that's why I managed to save them just in time. If you don't believe me, ask her" she told them, though her gaze was directed to Dante. As if she was telling him to stop doubting her. Metz knew better than doubting Delia. If you need a loyal ally, a Red Dragon is the best option possible. Emi also felt lie trusting Delia and couldn't doubt something she has no clue of. Getting tired by this suffocating silence and Dante's judgmental look, Delia stood up with a bitter expression as she let out a sigh of indignation.

"I shall take my leave now. I have many priorities to take care of. Inform me in case I am needed again." She spitted coldly and left in a hurry, her hand gripping her katana tightly. Emi was kind of disappointed. She was hoping to get to know her, when Dante felt lightly safer without her around. He knew that if Metz trusts Delia then there is no reason for him not to, but something in his hut told him that she is hiding something, something he should be aware of.

"Dante, what was all that about?" Metz asked confused, earning an equally confused look from his protégé.

"She doesn't tell us something Metz"

"She has her reasons, we can't know everything about her clan and she has already shared too much" Metz gasped at the end, realizing that all this long, information which were supposed to be top secret were shared in front of a new seeker who has never fought a normal titan. Emi sensed their discomfort due to her presence.

"Oh, no need to worry about me, I won't tell anyone" she assured them, but knew it wouldn't be enough. They barely know her and she hasn't even given them her real surname. Of course, they don't know that last one, but still, Emi was nervous when she is hiding secrets and she would need all of her strength to keep it.

"I don't mean to insult you Emi, but we this is important and we need to be 100% certain about your silence. I am hoping you understand the situation" Metz politely stated and Emi nodded, showing her full understanding which was asked from her.

"Good" Metz said with a smile as he averted his gaze on Dante "Since you got to know about the Red Dragons and Zhalia knows already, I suggest you add a new member to your team. No permanently needed, but it could be a good start for her. She has great potential. She knows a good amount of spells and can already call out titans. Plus, we can assure her silence" Metz finished and watched Dante's expression which had become calmer the instant Delia walked out of the room. Metz asking him to be Emi's mentor wasn't something that he despised. Having mentored Lok, Sophie and Den already has given him experience as a mentor and Emi seems mature enough to take him seriously. However, this could only mean one thing.

"You are asking me to leave the council and go back to my team" he stated, not sure how to feel about it. He missed all of them that's for sure, yet Metz might need his help, especially now that abnormal titans have attacked his team. He definitely has a lot to do and he might need to contact the Red Dragons Clan or even Delia again, to learn what this is all about. Emi was excited and grateful about Dante being her mentor, since he is an experienced seeker as well, but still couldn't help but feel nervous about meeting new people and having to hide her secret from all of them.

"Alright then, but if you need me for anything, let me know" Dante replied, knowing that his team would need him now and hoping that Metz won't keep him out of this simply because he wasn't supposed to know about the Red Dragons. Besides, he would like to test his suspicions about Delia again and he would also Metz would have to ask Zhalia about her connection with Delia. So the team would be involved whether Metz wants it or not, but Dante was sure he would try his best to keep them out of it and with Emi being the newest and less experienced member, he would have an excuse. This is why Dante will make sure Emi knows all she needs. Metz gave his protégé a calm sincere smile.

"I will my boy. Now, why don't you get Emi to introduce her to her new team and see how they are doing? I will inform the council about your departure and you can all stay at the foundations safe house until your team recovers. Meanwhile Emi's training can normally begin. Good luck Emi. Goodbye Dante" Metz greeted them and left the two of them alone in the main hall. Dante eyed the young female with a welcoming look, even though he was feeling a knot in his stomach upon recalling the state of his teammates, and spoke.

"Shall we?" he suggested as he got up and waited for her reply. Emi shot her new mentor a reassuring smile full of determination –though she still felt nervous- and stood up.

"Let's go and meet your team" Dante added and saw how Emi took a deep breath and started to walk forward. Dante followed right behind her and as Emi knocked the door, the knot in his stomach got worst.

He couldn't say he was certain about it, but he had a feeling that after what they hear from Zhalia, they would get themselves into a whole different world, with another version of normal, Delia's version. And he would make sure that his team will be safe and Emi will be ready to face it.

 **Irene Rays A/N: Hello to all my beautiful alien and human beings! I am hoping you all have a beautiful day and that you enjoy every moment ^.^**

 **This was chapter two ladies and gentleman and here is my classic questioning part (I do this way too often…)**

 **What will happen when Metz tells the council members about the attack? What will Zhalia have to say? She met Delia while she was fighting one of her enemies… Why would Zhalia have to fight one of the Red Dragon's clan opponents? Delia also said she met her five years ago…which means when she was an organization member huh… Oh, and what do you think about the abnormal titans so far? Do you like their characteristics? What will Delia do when she gets back to Japan? What will she find about the CI? Will Emi manage to keep her secret about her being a forbidden Casterwill? Will Dante manage to prepare her right for what is about to come? Will she manage to make friends with the tough Delia? Will the team trusts her?**

 **And that's all for now… Never forget to smile and stay the awesome people you are in this awesome fandom!**

 **Lots of love from Irene Rays~~**

 **Carter Casterwill A/N: Hello my lovely hot dogs! How are you?**

 **Well, I was going to ask some questions, but it seems Irene bet me too it. So, yeah. I hope you all enjoy it and don't forget to review and tell us how awesome it is! Don't be a silent reader! Tell us your opinion!**

 ***smile* say awesome!**

 **With all Huntik and awesomeness,**

 **-Carter Casterwill**


	3. Not Just Their Responsibility

**Chapter 3**

 **Not just their responsibility**

 **4 years ago**

"Emi!" A voice shouted from the huge Casterwill meeting room, "Come here!" Emi sighed and looked at Vivian, who she had been playing with a moment before.

"I'll be right back, Viv." Emi said with an apologetic tone in her voice. Vivian gave her a look of understanding, nodded and sat on the ground, patiently waiting for her friend to return. Emi made her way to the meeting room. It was tall and wide. In the middle of the room, the ground was elevated to make some sort of a stage. On the stage thing, stood Lucas, Delix, and Lane Casterwill. They were one of the best Casterwill teams there was and Lucas was a part-time Casterwill leader.

"Emi?" Lucas asked strictly, anger gracing his features "Explain this." He tossed Emi a book. She caught it in her hands just in time and looked at it carefully. It was an old, yellowing paged schoolbook with a dusty hard cover. The cover read, 'Spells and titans of class 3'. Almost immediately, the memory of her finding this book and getting enchanted by every page came to her mind. She knew that book too well; it was the reason of all her unusual powers. Looking back up at Lucas, trying to hide her nervousness, she found him staring at her impatient, waiting for her answer.

"I found it." Emi replied. Being honest was probably the best option. Besides, it's just a book, why such a fuss about it? "Nobody seemed to mind that it was gone. I've been using it. Why?" Delix and Lane glanced at each other, not knowing why this book was so important to Lucas. They were just as clueless as Emi about the book, which seemed to be of great significance for some reason that Emi was now very eager to find out.

"Emi." Lucas said, pronouncing his words very slowly, as if he was talking to a two year old instead of a twelve year old, "I want you to take your book and your things and leave. I want you not to talk to any Casterwills ever again, for I shall know if you do. I want you to stay far away for this place and never come back. You are forbidden now. Casterwills will not have any contact with you, nor shall you have any contact with us." Lane gasped at his words and Delix seemed equally surprised. Emi found herself with an open mouth. What the hell is going on? Just a second ago he asked her about the book and now he is telling her to disappear? Her confusion burned the words that where stuck in her throat. She just couldn't say anything. She couldn't believe what was happening and the worst pat was that Lucas didn't seem to mind at all about her.

"Lucas!" Lane softly asked, "Don't you think you're being a little too harsh on her? She's twelve!" Lucas sighed and waved his hand at Lane.

"I'll explain later, Lane." He promised with a stone cold voice and stare, with which he faced Emi again.

"Emi, do you understand?" Emi stood there shocked, not knowing what exactly was going on or how she should reply. She has questions, many questions, but Lucas doesn't seem willing to answer them. Instead, he wants her gone for good, and all because of that stupid book.

"I-I don't know what you mean by Forbidden, Lucas." Emi replied, on the verge of tears. She didn't know when they had made their way to her orbs… the only thing she knew is that she didn't want to leave. This place, the Casterwill here, Vivian, they were like family to her and now they pushing her aside… or at least Lucas does. Lane and Delix didn't want her to leave either, but also did not doubt his decision. Lucas must have a good reason for doing this.

"I mean," He explained, his impatience getting clearer "I don't want you to see any Casterwills ever again." Emi bit her lip as tars slid down her face. She couldn't keep them any longer; neither could she do anything but leave.

"Fine!" She suddenly snapped, "I don't want to see you ever again!" Emi turned on her heels and left the room. She turned and ran all the way back to Vivian and as soon as Lucas couldn't see her anymore, she started sobbing. She was sad, angry, but mostly broken. Her questions were replaying in her mind but what was the point? No one will answer them no one will tell her why and no one will accept her back. Because she is forbidden…whatever the hell that means…

"Emi?" Vivian asked, standing back up from her place after seeing her friend crying, "What is the matter." She approached her and placed her small childish hands in Emi's tear washed face.

"I'm sorry, Viv." Emi replied with a forced smile, whipping some of the tears away, "I can't stay here any longer. I have to go. I can't play with you anymore." She said and the tried to avoid Vivian's big innocent eyes. They would break her even more; it would break her even more knowing she will never see them again. Vivian looked at her confused.

"When will you be back?" she asked. More tears slid down Emi's face as she gently pushed her hands aside, got up and started walking away, feeling Vivian's eyes following her every step.

"Never." She mouthed through her sobs and made her way out as fast as possible…

 **Back to New York (present)**

As Dante entered the room and Emi followed right behind him, the entire team –except the still unconscious Lok- averted their gazes on their new visitors.

"Dante!" Den and Sophie called his name synchronized when Zhalia held a surprise expression only for a splint second, before shooting him a knowing smile, which he returned without hesitation.

"Hello team!" he replied to Sophie's and Den greetings, who were about to stand up but the nurse stopped them, telling them she hasn't finished their treatment yet. Zhalia lowered her head to her scars and for a second, she prayed Dante hadn't met Delia, or else there will be a long upcoming conversation where she will have to try and avoid his amber gaze, that one gaze that makes her want to open up to him more than anything.

It was only when Dante stepped aside that the team noticed his company. It was a female in her teens with dark hair and obsidian eyes, obviously nervous for being there. Before they could ask who she was, Dante introduced her.

"This is Emi Thoth, a new seeker and team member. She already knows how to use spells and invoke titans, so I hope catching up with us will be easy for her." Den greeted her and introduced himself as cheerfully as he could; Sophie had mixed emotions but remained polite when Zhalia plainly introduced herself, being preoccupied by her thoughts. Emi gulped nervously and shook her hand in the air to greet them.

"H-Hello, I'm Emi. I um… am a new seeker but already know how to use powers so…. Um… it's nice to meet you all and I promise to do my best. Well, since you are injured, I will let you rest and… talk to your- our team leader." She stated with shaky voice as she awkwardly left the room, bumbling in a drawer during the process.

Everyone's eyes were now on Dante who was looking at his team with caring eyes. It has been so long and no one knew what to say, but Den couldn't stay quiet for long.

"So, how have you been? How is your new council job?" he asked with interest, yet discomfort.

"Ending" the man replied, earning the surprised gazes of his teammates.

"What do you mean?" Sophie demand to know, curiosity clear in her voice and the eyes of her teammates, earning a small smile from her mentor.

"I mean that I'm back in the team, as your team leader" he answered her question and spread his smile to his teammate's faces. There was a mild moment of celebration, until Dante shot Zhalia a hard, yet concerning gaze.

"I met the girl who helped you out there, Delia Santiago" he said with his gaze still directed to her while her own was averted to the side, avoiding his.

"You know her?" Sophie asked Zhalia and Dante understood that no many things were spoken between Delia and the team, so they did not know about Zhalia knowing her.

"Is she a ninja? Cause she fought like one. And she knew exactly how to defeat the titan. She moved like Flash! What on earth is she?" Den started bombarding questions to Zhalia; earning an answer from the one he expected the least.

"She is a Red Dragon, a member of the red dragon clan. Their duty is to keep abnormal titans away from normal seekers" Dante replied causing curiosity to grow even more in their teammates eyes, except one's. After explaining to the team all that Delia had told him, he turned to Zhalia.

"I need to know what happened back then Zhalia" he said with a pleading stare, knowing that it won't be easy for her to share what happened "But only when you recover. A foundation's jet will take us to Venice and then we can look into it"

"But Dante" Den protested "Didn't you say their existence is supposed to be secret? Why should we deal with their problem? This Delia said that a CI betrayed them and they will take care of them, so I see no point on start digging into it"

"Dante believes that this incident and what happened with Zhalia and Delia a few years ago are connected, right Dante?" Sophie suggested and asked for insurance, earning a nob from her mentor.

"That's right, a CI skipping informing the Red Dragons about a titan's territory when a seeker team steps in it, let alone the best team in the Huntik Foundation where a seeker with contacts in their clan is in it, doesn't exactly sound random" Dante agreed and stated his thoughts. Zhalia hadn't spoke for a while, but when Dante was talking, she was paying great attention, trying to trace the meaning behind his words.

"You believe that Delia has something to do with it. You don't trust her" Zhalia casually stated earning a hard stare from Dante.

"Then why would she save us?" Den asked confused.

"I told her so" Zhalia replied, making the whole room to freeze

"Wait! So you knew about this? You knew about us entering an abnormal territory and said nothing?" Sophie asked in disbelief with her emerald eyes wide open.

"I didn't know for sure, I just had suspicions" Zhalia clarified and felt a wave of guilt pinch her. They were not supposed to become a part of this…

"So I was right, it is connected with you and Delia, I just need you to tell me how Zhalia" Dante politely requested with the most caring look he could give. She can't possibly believe that he will let her deal with this on her own, does she? If this connection of her and the clan of the Red Dragons put her and the team in danger, they have to stick together and enter another part of the seeker world which has been forbidden to them until now. They have to stick together like old times…

Zhalia wanted to say something, anything that would convince them to stay out of it, but a moan of pain cut her thoughts and all of them turned to look at Lok who was slowly waking up from his deep sleep.

 **3 days later**

Den, Sophie, Lok and Zhalia have fully recovered and are now on their way back to Venice with their new team member Emi, whose nervousness is perceptible. Dante and Sophie are piloting the jet while Lok and Den are talking about random stuff and Zhalia keeps checking her phone every five minutes. Emi was observing them silently, not sure about whether she should start a conversation, if this scenery is common to them, if there is something she has to say… She simply has no idea what to do. It's been a while since she has interacted with humans and becoming a member of a team is something new and unfamiliar to her. She was never the kind of person who liked to b alone and hated the feeling of loneliness, yet had to stay alone to hide her secret and her titans have been a pleasant company, yet not enough to satisfy her innate human need to socialize.

Deciding that keeping quite is a better option than making a possibly failed attempt to socialize, she allowed her mind to recall the recent events. How she officially became a seeker, got a mentor and a team at the exact same day and in addition, she met her. She didn't know why, but she feels like she is connected with Delia…as if she knows something that Emi should and wants to know badly. In fact, Delia's knowledge gained Emi's attention from the very first moment she heard her speak. All those information about the abnormal titans, the Red Dragon clan, the Cis, the forbidden information… forbidden…the word kept replaying in her mind, like a bad quality recorder who was stuck in that part. She is forbidden and Delia is…no, this is stupid, only the knowledge of Delia's existence is forbidden, in Emi's case, her existence itself is forbidden. It's not the same… but still, she wishes that they will be able to meet again soon.

Without a warning, Lok and Den appeared in front of her, capturing her eye sight and made her land abruptly to reality. They both seated themselves in her sides and put a smile on their faces. It looked warm and welcoming, but the look of Zhalia's face showed her otherwise, when she lifted her eyes from the phone and rolled them almost immediately after they fell on the boys' grins. Emi eyed Lok, then Den and tried her best not to look awkward, though her forced smile and the giggles of embarrassment escaping her lips betrayed her.

"So Emi, where are you from?" asked Lok first, the sheepish smile stuck on his face like a sticker, Den following his example. Emi made a humming like sound and let out a sigh of relief. She didn't know what to expect and for a moment, she was scared she had been caught, but that's very unlikely to happen. They know nothing about her and she has to ensure it stays that way.

"Um… I was born in America, but I live in Venice with my mom." she replied

"Cool, I'm from Ireland" Lok answered his question himself and Emi raised a brow

"Really? You are Irish?" she asked with doubt, creating a confused look in Lok's face

"Yeah, I am. Why that face? It's not like I'm from hell"

"No, I meant… you don't sound very Irish, your accent is almost American"

"That's the result of watching too much Indiana Jones. Just you wait until he wears his hat on, you'll see no difference besides the stupidity" Den commented, teasing his friend who immediately got into counterattack. The conversation continued with mostly the boys asking Emi questions and the other way around, while they kept using every excuse to tease each other, causing Emi to feel more and more comfortable with their presence. Now she knew what they were doing… they were trying to make her feel at ease. What a nice gesture, she thought as she laughed along with them, enjoying the moment, until Sophie entered and asked Zhalia to take her place. The strawberry haired female seemed worried and has gathered all the glances in the room, which were directed in Zhalia afterwards. They knew that this was the time when Zhalia would reveal Dante about the connection of their attack and what happened 5 years ago. The flow and the end of that conversation will settle their next adventure and the team can't safely say they feel ready for it. Zhalia gave Sophie a curt nob, drained her face from every emotion and made her way out.

Sophie sat where Zhalia previously was and then laid her eyes on the trio, who obviously looked like they had a big time before she came but now, their joy has been obliterated and replaced with impatience and agony, as they kept gazing at the door.

Emi's eyes were full of hope. Hope that Zhalia will spill the beans and that they'll meet Delia again and get themselves an adventure. However, as Lok mentioned before, Zhalia is really stubborn and tends to be secretive, so Emi can only assume that she will want to protect her team from a dangerous adventure that no ordinary seeker has ever lived. So, she can only hope for the best to happen…no matter what that is.

 **Somewhere in Japan**

"Again" The blade eyed female coldly and strictly ordered with a stable tone someone can only wish for, watching the half-naked man with the half shaved in different symbols head, kneeling in surrender. He had pale yellow colored hair, dark skin, fire orange narrow eyes, thin lips tugged in a nerve racking smirk, a red dragon tattoo ornamenting his upper body. He looked at her with that smirk and his eyes shot her invisible bullets.

"What do you achieve with that Delia?" he asked, disgust leaking from his voice. Every inch of his body was tense and his feet were burning. That hot wave penetrated the flesh of his foot, he felt every cell die and his flesh turning from tanned to pink and then to black. Delia looked at him with an empty, dead, indifferent expression.

"You have done 59, 41 left" she said and motioned her head at the direction of what has been the source of the burning, piercing and unbearable pain of the man for two hours. A huge spare shaped whole, carefully carved on the wooden floor, filled with burning hot coal and he had to walk from the one side to the other until he spoke. If that won't work, there are other methods, as she threatened him. He held eye contact with Delia –not a very wise choice and something most of the members fear to do- and allowed the hatred he held for her display in his eyes.

"You didn't answer my question" he stated like a demand, but Delia didn't even bother to move a muscle. His disrespect didn't touch her at all; she knows how to handle scums like him. Seeing the lack of reaction, one of her colleagues, Seiko Hamate as he can recall, frowned and kicked him right in the abdomen. Not having the strength to even step on his own feet, the man fell on his knees and when his feet brushed the ground, he felt the flesh in his burning marks getting ripped and had to clench his jaw really hard to suppress a scream of pain. Seiko then spitted in his face and shot him a look of odium.

"You sick traitor! You don't get to speak to her like that! You exposed a Huntik team to the danger of an abnormal, disobeyed her, and doubted her and now mocking her! Who the hell do you think you are? You don't deserve to be called a Red Dragon! You are a measly worthless being Kelton!" Seiko kept swearing and shamming him, while Kelton rubbed the saliva away from his face and observed him with an empty stare and a sick grin. Seiko was about to continue shamming him, but Delia raised her hand and signaled him to stop. He obeyed, suppressed his urge to smash Kelton's head and returned to his position, right by her side. Kelton hummed in amusement.

"Yeah, that's right Seiko, be that bitch's puppy! You are living such an enviable life" he mocked his superior and Seiko used every part of his self-control to not snap. People who know him well also know the reason he follows Delia around like a shadow and even though Kelton is one of them, he never understood. Delia locked her gaze with his. A silent message was exchanged, telling him that it will be best if he leaves and Seiko obeyed, much to his dismay and unwillingness to leave her alone. It's not like she is not strong enough to defend herself against Kelton, or that this secret chamber is too far from civilization, but he has always been protective when it comes to her.

Kelton stood on his feet again and started laughing for no particular reason, just unleashing his pain with a more pleasant sound rather than a scream, though Delia would prefer the scream. His laughter was ear piercing. Drawing out her katana, she walked in the coal square and reached the middle where a cauldron full of lava lied, and put her katana in the lava. The metal of her blade was enchanted, so that it would never melt, no matter how hot it gets. She pulled it out and walked her way back to him, not minding the burning ground on her feet. Giving him another kick in his abdomen, she forced him on his knees, gripping his stomach tightly and gritting his teeth in pain and she kneeled down to match his height, which is quite hard, since he is taller.

"Tell me Kelton, who you would choose to kill your family, us or you?" she whispered to him with no emotion lacing her voice, causing Kelton's head to rise abruptly upwards in surprise.

"What the hell are you talking about bitch?" he demanded to know, a different look gracing his features, a look of surprise, but no worry…

"Now that we are talking, 5 red dragons have surrounded your house in Kentucky. You have two options, one, let the dragons kill them slowly and painfully or two, kill them yourself with your Astra 600 fast and without pain. Choose" Delia commanded and observed Kelton's reaction carefully. He looked at her with pure surprise and confusion, but then busted out in laughter.

"Do whatever the hell you want! I'm not telling you anything! You can go and kill those motherfuckers, they mean nothing to me!" he managed to utter between his laughter and Delia narrowed her brows.

"Just as I thought" she said and pushed him down, placed his hands above his head and tied them with a leather rope, doing the same with his legs as he kept laughing.

"In our clan, we value family above everything! Your clan is your family, our family is yours and your family is our family. We are one… If you don't value your family, you don't value us either…I just need to know why. You know you are going to die and we are going to get what we won't whether you talk or not, so spare us the trouble" she stood above him, on alert and ready to strike, while Kelton closed his fire orange eyes, took a deep breath, his grin plastered on his thin bruised lips.

"Dream on bitch!" was all he said, looking straight in her eyes, before Delia placed her hand in his chest, placed his legs between hers and closed them, while she sifted her weight to the hand which was in his chest, completely immobilizing him. With her other arm she brought her hot katana, which was leaking lava, close to his skin, where his red dragon tattoo begun. It begun on his chest and spread to his abdomen, lower belly and the wings on his right flank.

"You are no worthy of being a part of our family" she shamed him and started pealing his flesh, like an apple skin, and leaving lava fall on his exposed muscle. The last thing Kelton said between his screams before he lost consequences was:

"I'd rather die than live to see you becoming a leader!" he screamed in her face and faded away…

Seiko was pacing right and left in the entrance of the underground chamber, waiting impatiently for Delia to come out. When he saw her figure covered in blood, he rushed by her side and checked on her. Thankfully it wasn't her blood.

"I'm fine Seiko, the matter is settled" she stated with the same cold voice as she had before, as she always has… Seiko nobbed his head and offered her a clean piece of cloth which she took without looking and started wiping the blood of herself.

"Did you kill him?" Seiko asked, feeling a slight discomfort in his stomach, his gaze fixed on the ground. Delia turned to get a full look of his face and knew he was forcing himself to be strong.

"No, I removed him from the clan. He is no longer our family… he is no longer your family Seiko, but I am. I got his memories, so we can find out why he didn't tell us about the territory. Was it because he wanted to trap the Huntik team and has some kind of enemy in the foundation, or is he serving him?" Delia placed a hand on his shoulder, holding no emotion and trying to help Seiko suppress his grief for now. Losing a friend must be heartbreaking, especially losing him to our enemy, but she couldn't say she understands, she never could call anyone her friend anyway. It's her job to not trust but protect everyone. Seiko gave her a faint smile and squeezed her hand in his shoulder. His amethyst colored orbs shining with gratefulness, visible from the hair falling on his face. Like her, he was simply dressed in black pants, hiking boots and a purple leather jacket hiding his plain white shirt. His hair was long and caught in a long braid while he had a fringe, falling left and right on his slim face.

"And what will happen if he wanted to trap the Huntik team?" he asked curious as Delia averted her gaze to the inhospitable environment surrounding them, a giant forest with Japanese flora which is supposed to be an abnormal territory, but still the clan had a basement there, especially made for the traitors. She was observing the smoky looking mist, giving the forest a mysterious atmosphere, tempting you to unlock his secrets, just like the bottle with the white liquid in her head tempts her to unlock the memories of the man it belonged to.

"If that's the case, I am afraid that my suspicions are true." She said not looking directly at him, causing him to frown out of confusion.

"He is back Seiko… everything we did was in vain" she said and only for a second, allowed herself to show her disappointment in her face. Seiko felt disappointed as well, angry too, but knew that they had to act immediately before he gets too strong to stop. He knew he wasn't allowed to, but placed his head on her shoulder, causing her to flinch. No one is allowed to touch her, especially her. It shows disrespect to the woman who is about to become the first female leader the clan ever had, but to him she was not just that. After she relaxed, she locked their gazes and tried really hard to maintain an emotionless expression. Brushing his hand aside gently, she started making her way to the forest thinking only of one thing…

Zhalia is not safe anymore, the foundation can't protect her…. She will have to bring her and the item of his desire to the safest place she can find…her home.

 **Back to the plane**

Dante had to repeat many times all that Zhalia told him in his head in order to digest them. Something didn't fit here, but still, he was right. There was indeed a connection between what happened today and what happened five years ago, or at least Zhalia confirmed that there is a high possibility of it. Maybe 75%, but Dante's gut screams 100%. The mere fact that there is a man out there, hunting her because she has something he wants and told him nothing about it upsets him and also, her attitude towards him is hurting him. She seems so preserved… so distant… They haven't been away for so long, yet h feels like he is losing her somehow…

"That's all I can tell you" she announced after seeing that he had fully understood what happened. Of course, she wasn't too specific or shared much about Delia. She expected him to frown and to be angry at her for hiding this, even though HE hadn't been dangerous up until now, when he sent her the warning. Zhalia knew there might be a possibility- no, scratch that! She will definitely have to leave the team again, this time for their safety and have herself getting used to his presence will only make the separation harder for the both of them. She was so deep in thought, she didn't notice Dante putting the plane in auto and kneeling in front of her while she was still seated, his hands placed on her arms, caressing the lightly, a knowing look in his warm amber eyes.

"Not an option" he said and Zhalia bit her lower lip and looked away, trying to avoid his gaze which could melt her heart at once.

"You know that I will have to" she protested, still avoiding him

"I am not telling you that you won't go, I am telling you that you won't go alone" he announced determined to do as he says. Of course, Zhalia had seen this coming and knew he would follow her to Japan no matter what she says. Zhalia turned to fully face him, not having stopped biting her lower lip which she now had to let go.

"Dante, you shouldn't get into this. Besides, it's their responsibility, their enemy"

"If their enemy is threatening one of my team members, especially you, it's not just their responsibility" He seriously stated, while his eyes tried to show her how much he was worried about her. Not like she didn't know already, but still.

"All they will do is keep me safe and teach me how to defend myself in their round, I might not have to fight against him, only to protect what he wants" she once again tried to convince him to change his mind, but in vain.

"Zhalia, no matter what you are going to do here or there, you are still in danger and I'm not letting you go. There is no need for one of us to leave again…I promise that I will stay with you, if you do the same" Zhalia let out a sigh of surrender.

She didn't know whether she wants to believe that promise or not, but she would be stupid I she protested more. She knew that besides him, she was dragging the kids and their new team member to unnecessary danger and wanted to bring that up, but Dante seemed to have thought about it too and knows what to do.

"Alright then, I guess we are all going to Japan" with that she announced her surrender and started walking away from him, but he grabbed her wrist and forced her to look at him. His amber eyes full of concern.

"Why are you doing this?" he almost begged to know, trying to meet her eyes whish were avoiding his own at any cost.

"Why am I doing what?" she asked and tried to break free of his grip, which was rather tight.

"Walking away from me?"

"Uh- because I have to go back to my seat?" she still tried her best to avoid this conversation, but Dante insisted.

"You know what I mean Zhal" she was now looking straight into his eyes. He wanted her to stay and talk about whatever is going on, but Zhalia didn't want to make that conversation now. She strongly pulled her hand away and started making her way to her seat, leaving a confused Dante in the middle of the room. His heart ached upon realizing how big has the distance between them become though she is a few meters away and he didn't know why.

Before Zhalia joined the others, she felt her phone beeping in her pocket. It was Delia. She picked it up and brought it to her ear.

"Please tell me something good" she asked with indignation in her voice

"Judging by the tone of your voice, you probably need it. Alright, the good news is that I found our CI and he has been properly punished. The bad news is that I checked his memories. He is not from one of these conspiracies who want to take me out, he works for him, which means you are in danger and will have to come and stay with me" Delia informed her from the other line and Zhalia nobbed

"I had seen this coming, but I need you to know that I won't be coming alone"

"And I had already seen THIS coming, your team and you stick together like glue huh?" she asked and didn't seem to have any problem with them joining her, which surprised Zhalia, but she didn't show it.

"Kind of, are you ok with this?" she asked only to be sure and heard a sigh of indignation from the other line. Looks like she wasn't the only one having a bad day.

"I really don't care, I don't carry responsibility for anything that will happen to them, but to you" she simply admitted and hung up, leaving a worried Zhalia leaning in the wall. So they won't be safe at all there…

 **Irene Rays A/N: Hello to all my sexy beautiful people! Give me some smiles!**

 **Here is chapter three, I hope you liked it! Thank you for your reviews, we appreciate them a lot! I am hoping this story remains interesting and fun to read.**

 **So, that book Emi found was the source of the forbidden spells Emi knows and the reason of her becoming a forbidden Casterwill….But why was the book there?... I mean, in a place where no forbidden Casterwills are? How many do we know about Emi's real family? Poor Emi, she must be broken even now…. What has happened to her dad? Is Dante back on the team permanently or not? Is this why Zhalia distant herself from him? What did she tell him? She finally revealed what the object was and who is the common enemy between her and the clan? Delia looks really tough… and she is about to become the next leader of the clan…though some members don't seem to like it…why? That Kelton guy, our traitor CI was found and as Delia revealed, he is actually working with the enemy….Good thing he was punished…. Also, Delia says she doesn't carry responsibility about what happens to the other members besides Zhalia….which exposes the team to more danger…is this why the clan doesn't want her? Because she is too harsh… Well…a leader has to be able to take hard decisions right? So what will happen when the team goes to Japan? Will they stay out of trouble? Will Emi's identity remain secret? Will Dante and Zhalia get to make this conversation? Will the clan treat them well? Will they meet Delia's parents? How will Delia face Dante? They don't seem really comfortable around each other, especially with Dante doubting her all the time, but hey… he is worried about Zhalia and the team so… lets justify hi…for now…**

 **Carter Casterwill's A/N: Hello my lovely hot dogs! How are you today?**

 **So, Irene was writing the first three chapters and now I get to write! I'm so excited!**

 **So, Lucas did it! He turned our lovely Emi Casterwill forbidden. Goes to show you how much I hate Lucas. Will Emi be able to keep her secret for long?**

 **That is the only question I'm going to ask, because Irene asked them all. Hope with chapter was as awesome as the rest!**

 ***smile* say awesome!**

 **With all Huntik and awesomeness,**

 **-Carter Casterwill**


	4. The Flaw in Their Plans

**Chapter 4**

 **The Flaw in Their Plan**

 **On the plane**

Zhalia walked back into the room and sat in her seat next to Sophie again. She glanced at each of her team members before looking out the window. Not knowing what her fingers were doing, she pulled her logos book out from her amulet pouch and started to drum her fingers on it. Delia said her team wouldn't be safe, that she carries no responsibility for what happens to them. So, what were they going to do?

Emi sensed Zhalia's discomfort and glanced at the blue haired seeker. She could see the way Zhalia's eyes projected her worries. Knowing very little about Zhalia, she couldn't have guessed that she is a professional at hiding her emotions, worries and problems, yet her infamous gut could give her access to the most complicated aspects of a situation or a person.

"Are you alright, Zhalia?" Emi asked. Lok looked over at Emi, seeing her concern for his blue haired friend, he glanced at Zhalia. She was looking out the window, drumming her fingers on her logos book, not paying attention to the rest of the team and obviously consumed in her own thoughts.

"Are you okay, Zhalia?" He asked, "You seemed a bit distracted" Den, who had been listening to their conversation, nodded in agreement. Zhalia looked away from the window once again, draining any emotions from her face. She couldn't let the teens know that she was putting them in grave danger. She just couldn't bring herself to do so. It felt like she betrayed them again and voicing her thoughts seemed impossible. If only she could insist more and convince Dante to let her go alone… things would have been way easier. But now she has to be on guard for all of them, they got no idea about the Red Dragons. They are harsh, old-fashioned –not in clothing- and trust no one. It's not like they'll cause trouble for the team, but they won't offer their assistance if the team faces a Huntik related trouble. They strictly follow their rules and know how to keep them away from other's business, which means her team, is exposed to the heart of the abnormal…

"I'm fine." She replied, hoping it would make them stop asking. Lok stared at her with those big, sky blue eyes of his, not sure whether he should buy that or not, while Emi's black eyes showed her concern. Den studied her before looking at Sophie, hoping that she could somehow convince Zhalia into talking to them, but was disappointed to see that she was reading a book.

Lok got up and sat on the other side of Sophie, poking her lightly to gain her attention and then looking dee into her emerald eyes, remaining frozen for a while. Emi smiled, though, her lack of her knowledge about human relationship made her wonder what was with Lok and Sophie and why they seemed so close.

Den continued to study Zhalia. He could probably be closer to figuring out what she was hiding, because of their brother/sister relationship, but still, she was better trained than him and he couldn't tell. He watched Zhalia look back out the window, unable to find out why.

Emi was about to open her mouth, when that feeling in her gut came back. She hugged her stomach and directed her stare to the floor of the plane. What was it now?

'Okay,' Emi thought, 'Breathe. Just breathe. Just think. It can't be that bad. Can it?' Then, a thought struck her. Lucas said he'd know if she talked to any Casterwills, right? Sophie was a Casterwill. Emi felt her blood freeze. She was dead now!

Zhalia sensed some discomfort in the room and quickly tore her eyes from the window. She glanced at her teammates, before her eyes landed on the green looking Emi.

"Are you okay, Emi? You look a bit green." Zhalia blurted out. Lok and Den looked up from what they were doing and looked at Emi, ashamed that they failed to notice her discomfort.

Emi's head shot up. Her eyes darted around confused. When, she calmed down, she looked at Zhalia. She gave her a faint nod, and looked back down. She had gotten everyone's attention now. Lok nudged Sophie. She put down the book with an annoyed look and was about to tell him off, when he whispered the situation to her.

"Are you sure?" Zhalia asked again. She would have to warn Dante if Emi is sick. Maybe even use that as an excuse to not drag her to Japan.

Emi didn't look back up, but she could feel their worried stares. Great, this was just going perfect. Attention is the last thing she needs. What if Sophie senses her gut and finds out she is a forbidden Casterwill and tell Lucas? She will be dead for sure!

"I'm just perfect." Emi replied, "I am just not used to planes. It will go away" Zhalia studied the raven haired girl more out of habit. Lok and Den just shook their shoulders, realizing it's not something serious. Sophie was about to open her mouth to ask another question, when the door that led to the cockpit open and closed. Dante Vale had entered the room.

Emi looked up, to see Dante standing in front of the door. She sighed with relief. If they started to ask questions, she might have let herself break. For some reason, her gut is screaming that something is wrong and having all of their gazes directed to her didn't ease the situation or helped her at all.

Dante's eyes swept over his team, checking their condition. His eyes landed at the pale Emi, before jumping to Zhalia. She looked directly into his eyes for a minute before glancing to the window again.

"Alright, team." Dante said, starting a conversation, "We'll be arriving in Venice soon. There, I want to all meet at my house. After that, go pack. We'll be leaving for Japan as soon as possible and I want you to be ready. Zhalia, grab that thing that you we're telling me about. Okay?" Everyone but Zhalia nodded, but Dante knew she understood. Heaving a mental sigh and suppressing his urge to pull her at the cockpit and make a proper conversation, he turned to leave.

"Um…Why are we going to Japan?" Sophie asked in bewilderment causing him to turn around again. Den and Lok nodded in agreement, the exact same question came to their minds at the same moment. Emi kept her mouth shut. For such a new member to express doubts over the team's leader choices would be disrespectful and suspicious of her. She knew better than triggering their suspicions when she is the least trustworthy member of the team.

"I'll explain later." Dante promised, "For now, I want the four of you to rest. Emi, I need you to come with me for a bit, okay?" Emi nodded nervously. Zhalia huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. He really was determined to put the whole team in danger just because he was worried about her… This is just insane. His selflessness nearly killed him almost two months ago and if Zhalia knew that his selfishness would have the same effects both for him and the team, she would have kept her thoughts to herself and go to Japan alone, making it look like she disappeared. Not like Dante's reaction would have been much different, but he would have no lead. He wouldn't know where to search for her and that would keep him away from danger. And for God's sake, she is not a little kid, she can take care of herself perfectly fine, but the memories running through her head and the last mission started to tell her otherwise. Still, Delia would teach her how to defend herself against the abnormal titans, what about them?

"Dante, can we meet at my house? We've met there most of the time." Sophie suggested and Dante shrugged.

"I have no problem with that." He agreed. Emi glanced at the floor again. First, she is talking with Sophie and now, she is about to enter a Casterwill's house. What would Lucas do if he found that out? What would Sophie do?

Emi's gut dropped and she had to bit her tongue to stop from gasping. Just then, there was a huge jolt in the plane and lights started to flash red. Lok, Den, and Zhalia turned to the windows. Dante and Sophie rushed to the cockpit. Emi froze. This couldn't be good.

* * *

A Japanese woman at her 40's was lying at a hospital bed, wearing a rather long pale white night gown, which didn't seem to be different than the color of her skin. Embraced by the white blanket and the smell of Kiku and Asagao flowers, she inhaled a handy of the fresh, fragrant air which entered her room after her visitor entered her room and opened the window, causing her to wake up. Blinking a couple of times to adjust to the new source of light, a weak, yet genuine smile ornamented her face as she recognized the blond female. Having been a ninja for her entire life, she has gained the ability to feel the presence of another one, even though the footsteps of her visitor have a sound equal to the one a feather makes when it falls on the ground. After all, she is her daughter; she expected nothing less from her.

The dark haired woman tried to awake her muscles and stand up but her daughter pushed her down gently, her face holding no emotion, but a mother knows her child better that it knows itself and she could see the worry in her blade orbs.

"How are you feeling today mum?" she asked her voice as stable as always. At least that's what others would hear, but her mum could tell by the moment she walked in that something is bothering her.

"Hey there Edelweiss" the mother greeted her daughter using the name of a flower again. She always enjoyed speaking the flower language, Hanakotoba, and every time he would call her by a different flower according to what she could see in her eyes. There was always courage and strength but no flower could represent worry… and there wasn't a single time that she needed to search in the corners of her mind to find such a flower. Her daughter always had any situation that was passed to her hands under control. Something serious must be going on.

"Can you just…call me by my name once" her daughter requested without revealing the pleading in her voice but as expected, her mum could see right through her.

"What will that change? What will your name tell about you?" she asked, her eyes barely open and her breath shallow. She is getting weaker. Her daughter placed her hand on her mother's cheek, brushing away some locks of her neck-length hair and only finally allowed her features to soften.

"I am your daughter mum, Delia, not your students. I need you to call me by my name" this time, the pleading in her voice was audible as she eyed her mother with pure sadness and something else that even Delia herself couldn't trace.

"But what would that change anything Erika?" she asked again weakly, slowly starting to fade away.

"I am not lonely mum, stop mentioning the flower of solitude! I just need you here! I need your help! He is back!" Delia now completely broke. She didn't know why, but something about her mum claiming she is lonely frustrated her. She wasn't lonely…but also her mother was never wrong. Yet whatever she is, whatever she feels doesn't matter. Because above being a daughter, a woman, even a person, she is an upcoming leader, a fighter, a protector of a large family. If her mum wants to call her by flowers, she would prefer Edelweiss than Erika. Even right now when she wants to hug her more than anything, she has to prepare herself to fight and take from her mother, the great warrior and philosopher Amira Kimiko, as much help as she can. But still…she had to break down, to let it all go now, before the glass overflows.

Her mum was barely conscious and Delia knew she didn't have much time before she blacks out. Now holding her hand tightly and kneeling besides the bed, she placed her mother's cold pale hand in her forehead and shut her eyes closed. Tears started streaming down her face against her will as she was killing her sobs one by one.

"Just tell me something…anything" she freely begged and could feel her mother's pulse weaken as her fingers were upon her veins. Amira wasn't trying to lift her body up anymore, but she allowed gravity to pull her body in the rather soft mattress of the hospital bed, her cool pillow adding to the temptation of closing her eyes.

"Delia…your dad… know" she barely whispered and lost consequences, her daughter still gripping her hand.

"What the hell are you always trying to tell me about my dad? He was unconscious when you and the elders imprisoned him! What are you trying to say about my dad?" the blade eyed female shouted the ground, draining her eyes from tears, crying out all the pressure she has been under all this long.

Only when she lifted her head up to face her mother did she realize she was no longer with her, at least for now. She took a deep breath and returned to her usual emotionless state, being now empty and ready to start working again. Delia got up and headed to the door. When she reached the entrance, she stopped in her tracks.

It happened again….

She shifted her weight to her left hand which she had placed on the door frame and shook her head. Shooting her mum one last glance from her shoulder, she turned to leave and crushed to someone's strong chest. Averting her eyes to the person, she saw a tall man with blond curls, tanned skin, greyish blue eyes and wide shoulders. A knowing look in his eyes as he recognized her and smiled warmly, intending to spread the warmth to her. However he knew that she had stopped receiving this warmth a long time ago. Delia bowed 45 degrees with her right hand bend in front of her chest, showing her respect to the man.

"Welcome home Master Dragon" she welcomed him properly and the current leader of the clan shook his head and rolled his eyes while relieving a melodic chuckle.

"I have told you a thousand times Delia, there is no need for formalities when we are alone" he reminded her and Delia came back to her straight posture, a weak smile on her lips and her eyes on the ground.

"Right, sorry dad" she sincerely apologized and looked him in his greyish blue eyes which resembled her own blade gray so much, but held more warmth and kindness compared to hers, which showed pride and confidence to everyone.

"What's bothering you child?" her father, the current leader of the clan Fernando Santiago, asked with concern as he noticed how his daughter's gaze went back to the ground.

"Did it happen again?" Delia had to think for a while before answering that question. Shooting him a serious look, she replied after what seemed eons to the man, only raising his worry.

"No" she curtly replied and kept eyeing him coldly without even blinking

"Mum mentioned you again" she stated, or more like started a statement which she expected him to continue with demand in her eyes. Fernando heaved a sigh and eyed his daughter apologetically.

"I'm sorry mi acara, I wish I could look you in the eyes and tell you what is your mother talking about but I can't. I was unconscious back then… your mother and the elders imprisoned him and have managed to keep us safe, even if it costed her health. You shouldn't bother your mind with that or try to make something out of your mother's words. She has to rest and you need to think of your duties. Besides, he is restrained now, he-"

"He is back dad" Delia interrupted, causing him to stare at her wide eyed and lost, taking a step back. Now it was his turn to grab the doorframe.

'What do you…? How can you be so sure?" regaining his composure, his eyes froze like hers. A father and his daughter turned into leader and warriors at the blink of an eye when they sensed danger. After all, that's their job.

"A few days ago Zhalia Moon called. She received a warning message, more like a threat from him, demanding what she stole from him. We both know what that is and what will happen if it falls into wrong hands" she informed him and he gave her a curt nob in return, his senses sharp, as if he would attack them right where they stood.

"I have planned for the appropriate measures to be taken" she added before he could speak and silenced him. She has been trained well and wisely educated for the position from a very young age. Fernando has witnessed her progress and has no doubts about her strategy and tactics, since they have proven to be efficient in every battle. He is indeed his daughter.

"You better find out what she is trying to say, because my measures will only enlighten the threat, buy us sometime but not eliminate it." She warned and left the room as a leader, before she could receive a parental gesture her dad intended to share as a daughter. She has no time for that now. She simply walked to the exit of the hospital without turning back and leaving her father visit her sick mother, thinking only about how to keep her people and Zhalia safe, as a capable leader.

* * *

"I see nothing." Den called to Zhalia. Emi, too, turned to the window to take a look. There were smoky white clouds and the blue sky, but no attackers. Sophie ran back in in a hurry with a concerned yet serious expression.

"Dante told me to come back and help." She told them and sat beside Lok.

"There's no one over here. What about you three?" Emi repeated Den's observation, since both of them were at the left side of the plane, and looked back at Zhalia, Lok, and Sophie who were at the right side, hoping to hear something specific. Lok shook his head negatively while Zhalia's silence told Emi that she has found nothing as well and continued to look out of the window. Meanwhile Sophie tried to activate her infamous gut, being a Casterwill is very useful when it comes to tracing magic. She could sense strong magic forces, and lately, she's been able to tell who they were coming from, blood spiral or Organization, and she knew that with more practice, she could tell who the owner of the spell was, eventually. She still had lots to learn about the Casterwills, she felt like they were still keeping secrets from her, but she was too busy to care right now.

"I can't sense anything." Sophie finally said after a while, "Whoever they are, they're good, good enough to be able to block Casterwills from sensing them." Zhalia sighed out of indignation. This day was just perfect! Whoever they were, they must have faced Casterwills before.

'Sophie said they could block out Casterwills.' Emi thought, 'I wonder if they blocked out forbidden Casterwill's senses too?' She didn't have much time to think on that, though. The plane jostled and tossed its riders abound. After the plane could fly straight again, Zhalia got up, regained her balance and run to the cockpit.

Making her way there in a hurry, she sat down in the seat next to Dante. She wasn't Sophie, she didn't know as much about flying planes as her, but she could still help. Dante nodded at her, acknowledging her presence. He was glad she chose to be at his side now, even if they were under attack. Just being close to she can help him understand her, maybe even figure out the cause of her recent behavior towards him.

"What's going on, Dante?" Zhalia asked, "We can't see anyone from the windows. I'm assuming that they are above us." Dante nodded and checked a control for a second before answering.

"They are above us." He stated, "And from my perspective, they're Organization. Not only are we being attacked, but there's an engine malfunction. I don't know how that got there, though. The plane was fine before we took off." He finished and Zhalia frowned, looking at the controls. This was just great. The Organization never knew when to give up.

Meanwhile Lok, Sophie, and Den continued to look outside for their attackers. Emi was looking outside too, but was more in deep thought. Maybe if she tried one of her powers, she might be able to see them and where they are.

"Rope Reveal." She muttered. The name sounded weird, but it allowed the 'ropes' around her to be raised and she could she other than what was around her.

Den looked over at Emi in mild confusion. She was looking out of the window, like the others, but she didn't seem to be looking for the attackers. Dante had said she was able to already use titans and spells. Maybe she knew a spell that could help them, but how could she know a spell that a trained Seeker like himself didn't know.

The plane jostled again, causing Sophie and Emi to lose their balance and bounce to the floor.

"They're above us!" Emi stated seriously, standing back up and offering her hand to Sophie. She took it and Emi pulled her up.

"How do you know that?" Lok asked, pure curiosity lacing his voice, aside from the slight tremble due to his attempts to remain in his position.

"How else could they attack without us seeing them?" Emi asked, more like supported her opinion and Den nobbed in agreement.

"Well," Sophie said, putting her hands on her hips, "The point is that I can't tell who they are and I was supposed to be able to" Sophie said, feeling guilty she couldn't do much and Lok patted her shoulder, giving her a rush of comfort.

Emi sighed hopelessly. She was new here and didn't know much about the Foundation's enemies. All she knew about we're the Red Dragons, and she wasn't even supposed to know about them. And technically, they weren't enemies, so she wasn't much of a help either

"Well," Sophie said, turning to Lok and Den, knowing that Emi wouldn't know what she was talking about, "it could either be Organization or Blood Spiral, but I'm sure the Spirals wouldn't attack us like that, this is really unlike them" she guessed and the everyone besides Emi nobbed, having already more than enough experience with the blood spiral.

Emi, turning away from the others, wondered how she was going to battle. She had enough trouble getting into the Foundation without using her powers. How was she supposed to battle?

"What do you think, Emi?" Lok asked the raven haired girl for her opinion and when she didn't respond, he waved his hand on her face. Emi whirled back around.

"What?" she asked as if she just had an electric shock, wondering what she could have possibly missed, and betraying her nervousness?

"I was wondering about an idea I had." Lok replied patiently, "What if, we opened the windows and shot powers from there? You think you could handle it without falling?" he suggested and Emi thought for a second. She didn't want to be the center of attention, but at the same time, Lok wanted her opinion.

"I think it's not okay." Sophie interjected, tossing a strand of her hair behind her shoulder, "We are clearly at disadvantage from under them, perhaps you could use Kipperin to have at least a force from above them and have they surrounded." The plane shook again before anyone could react to Sophie's opinion. It's shuttering threw the teens on the floor.

Emi pulled herself up from the floor and offered her hand to Den. Lok pulled Sophie up as Den took Emi's hand. Before they could manage to properly stand on their feet again, Dante came back to the room with Zhalia following right behind him. Emi could tell there were both alarmed, thanks to her gut, but they wanted to keep their cool.

"Alright, team." Dante said, "Who's up for jumping out of the plane?"

"Why?" Emi blurted, taken aback by the sudden turn of events. Dante looked over at his newest protégé with a small smile.

"Let's just say, that somehow, the plane is going to explode." He announced, looking way calmer that what Emi would have looked like if she had figured this out by herself.

"There is no time for panic or anything else. Grab your parachutes and let's move" Zhalia coldly commanded and everyone nobbed, grabbing their backpacks and parachutes while Zhalia and Dante had already attached their own to their backs.

Lok, Sophie and Den jumped casually out of the plane, while Dante and Zhalia stayed back to watch out for Emi. The raven haired girl was frightened, but had no time to think about it. Her mentor gave her an encouraging pat and shot her a soothing look.

"It's alright; we'll be right behind you." He assured her and Emi smiled with gratitude. Taking a deep breath, she jumped of the plane and immediately was attacked by an intense ticklish sensation in her belly and a rapid increase of her heartbeats.

Turning her head upwards in horror, she saw Dante and Zhalia falling right behind her, but that didn't make her feel any safer. Her breathing was uneven and she couldn't even scream out of terror.

"Emi open your parachute!" Dante screamed as he saw how dangerously close Emi was to the ground. The girl screamed out of panic and covered her eyes, expecting the worst to happen, but her fall was cushioned by a pair of two strong arms. She opened her eyes hesitant and came face to face with an insect headed Lok.

"Got you!" he assured her with a sheepish, yet comforting smile as he safely landed her to the ground. Emi's legs were shaking so hard, she had to get a hold of a tree trunk to calm her down.

Meanwhile Dante and Zhalia were almost there, until a force ripped Zhalia's parachute open and sent her falling to some trees. Dante screamed her name concerned and tried to speed up his fall and rush to her while Lok was already on his way to the rescue with his power bonded titan, Kipperin.

However the blunette needed neither of them. She got rid of her parachute in a splint of a second and cushioned her fall with feather drop as she landed in a tree's branch, only to get hit by another spell that came out of nowhere and gave her a burning sensation in her chest. This time, it was Lok who caught her and helped her land safely beside Dante and the others who were already at the spot. Dante's breath had been stuck In his throat all along and only came back to normal after he felt Zhalia's hands in his, when he gently pulled her closer to himself, much to her attempts to pull away. He noticed how she had placed her palm on her chest, gripping her shirt tightly, a fiery red glow coming from the spot she was touching, radiating warmth.

It was a fire spell. That was weird, Organization is not well known to have fire seekers and from the blood spirals, Kiel has the most powerful fire spells. Could his guessing be wrong and they are attacked by left over blood spirals and not stubborn nerve-wracking organization scums?

The team had to turn their heads after hearing a hysteric laughter which sounded more like its owner was choking. Dante's original guessing was right after all, they were indeed Organization suits, accompanied with a tanned blond male with strange Japanese red attire and a hideous scar on his exposed half body. It was obvious he is not an ordinary suit.

"Oh boy, this was a blast! I haven't had so much fun in a while! Though it would have been more fun if that branch had pierced your stomach, but I have heard that the lone wolf Zhalia Moon is not fun at all so, no surprise here" the man stated in a piercing weird voice which confessed his lack of sanity… or maybe his sense of bad humor. Dante and the others frowned, except Zhalia who had managed to pull away from Dante and was still griping the flesh of her chest tightly, feeling the insane amount of heat spread to her entire body and making her feel dizzy.

"I see the Organization has another new crazy leader. No surprise here either" Dante commented mockingly with his infamous smirk and frown. The man didn't seem offended at all with his words, more like…amused.

"Indeed mister Vale, I am crazy… crazy for revenge. And to take revenge I need to make my opponent's life harder than it already is and watch them suffer before I finish them of!" The man shared his plan with an unusual glimpse of evil in his eyes. His hatred for that person could be detected from miles away.

"How come that enemy of yours happens to be Zhalia? And how can you block Casterwill magic?" Sophie demanded to know, not fancying this guy already. Pure disgust ornamented the team's faces just by the bare sight of him.

"Oh, so my suits were right! There is indeed a young Casterwill in the plane. I guess you are the one who sensed us!" the man concluded amused "So you are with the side of my enemy! " he then inquired with a more angry expression and Sophie frowned as she stood protectively in front of her friends, feeling that this guy will attack at any second.

"Yes I am! And I am not letting you hurt my friend again!" she proudly stated and the man eyed her surprised before bursting out in his piercing hysteric laughter.

"Oh my, you thought that Zhalia was my enemy! Oh no my little naïve Casterwill. Zhalia is the person I have to get rid of to weaken my enemy." The man revealed and caused Sophie to frown, both out of curiosity and displeasure.

"Would you mind enlightening us then? Who are you and who is your enemy?" Dante asked with a cold demanding tone and the man stared at him wide eyed.

"Oh my, where did my manners vanish? My name is Kelton and my enemy, is none other than Zhalia's friend Delia Santiago" Kelton introduced himself and revealed his enemy, which caused Dante to frown even more. He just knew that this girl was trouble all along!

"And how come a Red dragon like you has formed an alliance with the Organization. Judging by the power your title provides you, you could have acted by yourself" Dante kept him busy while motioned his team to surround the suits slowly as he still remains the center of attention. However, Zhalia didn't have the strength to move. Her whole body was engulfed by heat; it almost paralyzed her as she felt every cell of her body heating up at a point where she felt like she was on fire… literally.

"I no longer possess the title of the Red Dragon mister Vale" he clarified and moved his eyes to Lok, who had tip-toed his way behind some suits and was ready to crush them. "But I still have some of the powers it provided me. So I and the Organization made a deal. They will help me get rid of Miss Moon and cause as much pain as possible to my original enemy, and I will grand them the 'Dragon gifts'. However, judging by her past, the Organization shall owe me more than one favors, since not only I have empowered them, but I will get rid of their traitor and the most annoying team in the Foundation. I will be like a God to them!" he kept talking in a fast speed, and his pupils seemed to change size in a non-normal way.

"And what makes you think it is going to be that easy?" Dante inquired and Kelton smirked. With a swift motion of his hand, three piercing exploding sounds filled the air. The ground around Sophie's, Lok's and Den's feet, who have been surrounding suits all along, turned into lava and started covering them like a blanket, until it reached their necks and petrified itself.

"With one more motion, I can make the stone out of magma pierce their bones and I will gladly do the same to you and this young girl over there" he threatened him and pointed at Emi, who was still standing by the tree. Both she and the team had only heard about Red Dragons and Delia never specified what they are capable of. If an ex dragon can do this much, what is an original dragon capable of? Lok, Sophie and Den were trapped and seemed to be unable of calling any spells or titans, since the lava had covered their mouths as well, but it wasn't just that. This magma was magical…it restrained their power, or so Dante could tell. All he knew for sure is that as long as Kelton has the upper hand, they have a disadvantage. If Emi and Zhalia could buy him some time by dragging the suits attention and let him deal with Kelton, he could free the rest of his team. On the other hand, the effects of the spell that Kelton had hit Zhalia with hadn't vanished, something that Dante didn't have the chance to notice, only when he heard a muffled moan of pain, as if its owner tried to prevent it, and Emi shouting Zhalia's name.

He abruptly turned around to find her kneeling on the ground, gripping the same part of her chest she did before, only this time, she was sweating and breathing hard and the area her hand was on was reddish. Emi was already at her side, holding her shoulders lightly, a concerned look gracing her features. Dante's frow turneded into a worried face full of fear for his beloved. He wanted to rush to her side and use a spell to lessen the pain, but he couldn't let his guard down. Turning to face Kelton again, he barely held a low angry growl.

"What did you do?" he demanded his fists balled and ready to strike. Kelton simply smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing much, just a spell to increase her temperature so much it will burn her from inside out. Quite a torturing way to die, but she deserves it after what this bitch made me get through. She removed my fucking Dragon! Now I will remove they object she desires and I will finally be recognized by my master!" Kelton manically shouted and spitted on Dante's face. Dante never felt more disgust in his life. He was ready to call a Dragon fist and smash Kelton's head, or at least try to… otherwise, Zhalia would die…

 **Irene Rays A/N: Hello everyone. Long time no see!**

 **This is the next chapter of mine and Carter's combined story…**

 **So…our traitor CI has formed an alliance with the Organization and is threatening our team… Bleh XD**

 **Seems like Dragon's magic can block Casterwill magic… why is that? And why couldn't it block Emi's magic? Has it something to do with her being a Forbidden Casterwill? What does that mean after all? And why would the Red Dragons have specific spells to block Casterwill magic? How can Kelton still use spells after Delia removed his Dragon? Who is Kelton's master? Will Dante come up with something to save Zhalia? Will they actually manage to get in Japan in one piece? What does Zhalia have that has become the center of attention anyway…?**

 **We'll let you know in the next chapters! Thank you for viewing and reviewing the story, we appreciate the support of all of you.**

 **Never forget to smile and stay awesome**

 **Lots of love from Irene Rays**

 **Carter Casterwill's A/N: Hello my lovely hot dogs!**

 **New chapter! Finally! I was actually writing this and I got writers block halfway through! So, Irene finished for me and I'm a grateful!**

 **So, things are not looking good for Zhalia, are they? Why could Emi sense them when Sophie couldn't? What exactly is the difference between Casterwill's powers and Forbidden Casterwill's powers? Will the team get there? Like will everyone make it there? Will anyone die? It's Irene and me, someone might die. If Emi makes it to Japan, what will Delia think of her?**

 **Well, hopefully this satisfied you for now and chapter 5 will be out as soon as I can get it written! See ya!**

 ***smile* say awesome!**

 **With all Huntik and awesomeness,**

 **-Carter Casterwill**


	5. A Way To Japan

**Chapter 5**

 **A way to Japan**

 **In the forest**

Emi stared at the man with fear dancing in her eyes. She could feel Zhalia burning up in her arms. This was her first time in a battle and someone was going to die. She should have trusted her gut and say something, even if it would sound unreasonable. Now, Zhalia was going to die.

"What about the rest of us?" Sophie's muffled voice echoed, the lava making it hard for her to speak. Kelton turned to her with a thick raised brow.

"The Organization will make short work of you." He promised with a smirk, barely changing his center of attention, the russet haired leader.

Emi looked up at Dante, searching for any sign of hope. He had a determined expression on his face and shot her a strict yet reassuring look before raising an amulet.

"Come out and play, Caliban!" Dante shouted. There was a flash of purple light and the white haired Aztec warrior appeared, standing with pride in front of his owner and waiting for orders. Dante commanded him to distract as many suits as possible while he focused on Kelton.

"I can't just sit here and do nothing." Emi muttered, any sign of panic and sock vanished from her face, her grip on Zhalia's burning body raising her determination to help. Gripping Jacob the Adventurer's amulet off her neck she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and called out to her companion.

"Help him, Jacob the Adventurer!" she shouted and Jacob appeared next to Caliban in all his glory. Knowing that even a strong titan like Caliban won't be able to handle the suits by himself, Emi sent Jacob to his assistance.

Den stared at the new titan. Surprisingly, he looked a lot like Kyho the Tracker; only he had a sword instead of a staff.

Kelton turned his attention to the least activate seeker, observing her titan and examining her. This new Seeker felt a bit familiar, he just couldn't tell why. She wouldn't be hard to dispose of, though.

"Dragonfist!" Dante shouted the name of the familiar spell, making the first move. He ran to Kelton, hoping that taking him out would stop the pain Zhalia was feeling. Kelton easily dodged his attack and used a fire spell, unknown to Dante, which he managed to avoid by inches.

"The others." Zhalia struggled to whisper, her temperature rising threateningly. Emi could feel the heat all over her arm, and it was way above 45, it's a miracle she can even kneel.

"What?" Emi asked, leaning a bit closer, not knowing what the older Seeker was talking about.

"Try to get the others out." Zhalia whispered again, "Leave me. I'll be fine." She finished and Emi bit her lip. Her first day was not going so well. Now she had to make a choice, leave Zhalia here and help the others at the risk of her dying at any moment, or stay and guard her, but then Dante would have no support?

"What's the spell?" Emi asked herself, tying to remember one of the spells her dad taught her, "Oh, yeah! Ever heal!" An orange light surrounded Zhalia and faded instantly. Emi just hoped that helped for a while, but Zhalia's temperature didn't agree with her plans. Seeing that Dante was getting tired and the titans were surrounded, she decided there was actually no choice to make. She laid Zhalia gently on the ground and ran over to the rest of the team.

Dante continued to fight Kelton. He'd never fought so hard, not even against Rassimov. This Kelton guy was good and there was a reason for that. He had powers of a Red Dragon. He Can' expect the spells he will use and their effect is much stronger than seeker spells. It was only a matter of time until he gets too exhausted.

"Hyper stride!" Dante called, jumping out of the way of Kelton's attack. He landed to the far right, away from the rest of his team. He couldn't keep this up for long, Zhalia was in danger. Kelton was strong and the suits could easily dispatch of the rest of his team while he was fighting Kelton. He only hoped Emi could protect herself and the others.

"Jacob!" Emi shouted, calling to her titan, "Protect Zhalia, at all means necessary!" Jacob nodded and ran over to the mentioned female. Emi continued on her way to Lok, Sophie, and Den. She made it to Den first and inspected the lava surrounding him.

"Your titan looks like one of mine." Den shared his observation as Emi looked up at him, "He looks like Kyho the Tracker." He finished and Emi's eyes widened in surprise.

"You have Kyho the Tracker?" She gasped, "Wherever did you get him?" she asked amazed but landed to reality after she heard Sophie clearing her throat. Emi turned abruptly to her and bit her bottom lip in embarrassment.

"Woops." Emi admitted let me get you out of there." She stepped back and her hands lit up blue.

"Double spell! Auger frost!" She shot the spells at the lava surrounding Sophie. She did that again and again and Lok noticed the lava starting to cool down.

"You're just going to harden it." Lok said, thinking it wouldn't help much. Emi sighed and shot another auger frost at it again.

"Alright then, I'll break it with a Dragonfist." Emi replied, hoping it would work. Just then, a spell came from behind Emi and shot her in the back. She fell to the ground, revealing a group of suits behind her.

Dante continued to fight Kelton, but he was losing strength fast. His sides hurt badly, but he didn't have the time to call an Ever fight. Kelton kept pressing Dante farther and farther away from his team.

 _'I have to win.'_ Dante thought, _'For the team, For Zhalia's life.'_ Kelton seemed to know what he was thinking and Dante frowned, acknowledging his obvious disadvantages.

"Think you can beat me and save your friend's lives, Dante Vale? Seems unlikely to me" He teased, his amusement clear in his voice

"We'll see about that." Dante called another hyper stride and jumped out of the way from Kelton's spell. He could feel his energy going down. He couldn't keep fighting for long. A growl of disappointment managed to make it audible from his lips.

 _What should I do?_ Caliban asked Dante through their power-bond. Looking back over at the clearing they had all started in, he could see Emi's titan protecting Zhalia.

Zhalia, she didn't look good, even from a distance. Her face was flushed a bright red color. She was lying on the ground, withering in pain.

Dante could see Emi on the ground in front of the frozen Lok, Sophie, and Den with suits surrounding her. She was still unconscious, he had to do something.

 _Help Emi._ Dante decided, for she needed it the most. Caliban obeyed and ran over to Emi and the others.

Before he could even turn around, Dante felt a sharp pain in his side as Kelton shot another spell at him, a simple spell, but effective.

"Don't look away from your opponent." Kelton sang amused as Dante fell to his knees, "You never know when you could get stabbed in the b-ACK!" Kelton let out a scream and felt a piercing pain in his spine. It was cold, frozen and felt like he was getting paralyzed. After Kelton kneeled, he gave Dante full sight of their savior. There, behind Kelton, was a black long haired boy about Delia's age.

"Kelton." He hissed, glaring at him. Dante took his chance and used Ever fight. He didn't know who the boy was, but if he was fighting Kelton, Dante can consider him as an ally for the moment.

Kelton turned to get a glimpse of the new face, before recognizing him and letting an angry growl.

"Seiko." He replied, hatred lacing his voice, "What a lovely surprise."

Back over in the clearing, Zhalia groaned out in pain. It was so hot right now; she thought she was on fire. Emi's titan was protecting her from the suits, but it wouldn't be that way for long. Eventually, they were going to hit Jacob's weak spot and he would be returned to his amulet.

Zhalia's breathing became rapid. She knew her face was red, and she bet that her skin was going to explode any second. The heat was everywhere… she was covered in sweat which was incapable of cooling her and her eyes were tearing up. Slowly, she felt like her body was giving up…

Emi started to wake and caught Caliban with her hazy gaze as he ran over in front of her. Carefully she stood up and tried shooting Auger frost to the stoned lava around her teammates.

"This is taking too long!" Emi cursed, running her hands through her hair. She then remembered the idea of using Dragonfist. Balling her fists and taking the appropriate position, Emi felt three pairs of eyes shower her with hope as she raised her hands to the air.

"Dragonfist!" Emi shouted, her fist glowing a dull orange color. She brought it down on the frozen rock, creating cracks in it. She continued that until Lok was set free. Lok helped get Sophie out, while Emi tackled Den.

Meanwhile she called another titan of hers to assist Caliban, a titan of ice which looked like a frozen version of Ignatius, Hielo. Her titan started to help Caliban protect the Seekers, as they were defenseless right now.

Emi practically collapsed to the ground, since she used too much power, as soon as Den was out. He looked at her gratefully before turning his attention to the suits.

"Excuse me?" Lok shouted at the suits fighting their titans, "Care inviting us to your party?" he teased. The suits looked a bit annoyed.

"Come on, kid." One of them said, "I don't..." He was cut off by Lok throwing a bolt flare at him. They called out their titans and the fight finally got serious and fairer.

Meanwhile, Dante and the new boy, Seiko, were still fighting Kelton. Dante was losing energy quickly, but he didn't want to give up so quickly. Seeing that Seiko can easily handle Kelton with his ice spells, he backed off –still in alert though- and got a full view of the battlefield.

Dante quickly stole a glance at the rest of his team, relieved to see that Lok, Sophie, and Den were free. Emi had found a way to free them and was now with Zhalia again. Dante panicked as he saw Zhalia completely still and red, burning marks were appearing in her neck and hands.

Seiko jumped out of the way to avoid a fire spell which he dispatched with his own before shooting Kelton, all that in a blink of an eye. He very well matched Kelton's fighting techniques, but it was more guided by reason and calmness, while Kelton used his range and emotions. He knew how to strike and avoid any attack of his, which led Dante to the most proper and rational conclusion Seiko has to be a Red Dragon, or an ex like Kelton.

After some battling, Seiko kicked Kelton in his diaphragm, making him fall to the ground wincing. Seiko held him fast to the ground, mobilizing him.

"Kelton!" Seiko exclaimed, "Give up! It is over before you even begun it." he said as if sating something obvious that only a stupid person wouldn't understand, causing Kelton let out a laugh.

"Don't be so sure, Seiko." He replied through his gasps, "Why don't you go back to your precious Delia now? I'm sure that she would love to have her obedient puppy back." Kelton teased with a wicked smirk and Seiko glared at him before responding.

"I'm not a dog, I am her guardian" Seiko snapped. Taking advantage of the fact that he hit his opponent's sensitive spot, causing him to let his guard down, Kelton kicked him in the side, making him let go in surprise. Kelton jumped up from the ground and ran in to the depths of the forest. He yelled for the suits to follow, and they did, though, Dante was sure that the others had given them a scare. Before he disappeared in the woods, he took a last glance of the Red Dragon with who they were once on the same side and shouted to him.

"She will never see you in another way you idiot, you are just a tool for that bitch!" his voiced echoed in Seiko's mind as he balled his fists and held out a sharp reply. He knew it wasn't that way, Delia appreciates him, he knows that.

Dante didn't think twice as soon as the suits and Kelton were gone and he ran over to Zhalia. Emi handed her over to him with a worried expression. The second he touched her skin, he could feel his own burn under hers. Her face was red and her breathing was slowed and choppy, as if it was forced. She fought to open her hazel eyes and looked at him.

"Hey." She mumbled, her voice dry and weak, trying to be a bit sarcastic, "I feel like I'm on fire." Dante gave her a forced smile.

"You're not." He assured her, placing his palm on the burning mark on the surface of her burning skin. She closed her eyes and her breath became even slower, almost untraceable. Dante's heart clenched and his eyes widened as he lost track of her pulse and the steady rises and falls of her chest, the burning marks spreading on her body.

"Is she... going to die?" Den asked worried about his sister, fear overtaking him and the rest of the team.

"I hope that's not the case." A new voice said. The new person was, of course, Seiko who was standing right behind them, making his way in front of them. Everyone looked at him, minus Zhalia.

Seiko came over to them and inspected Zhalia.

"I've seen only a few people use this," Seiko admitted, "but we've only used it for..." His voice trailed off, not wanting to admit the reason.

"Come on back, Hielo, Jacob the Adventurer!" Emi ordered. The two titans nodded at their mistress and returned to their respective amulets.

Seiko kneeled, placed his hands on Zhalia's forehead and muttered something too low for anyone to hear. A sky blue light surrounded Zhalia and raised her chest lightly. Dante could feel her body start to cool down and the red color started to disappear, a glimpse of hope showing in his face.

"Who are you?" Sophie asked Seiko curious as the light faded from around Zhalia. She relaxed in Dante's arms and her breathing returned to normal, but she was still unconscious. Seiko stood up and turned to Sophie indifferent.

"My name is Seiko Hamate." He replied to her before turning to the leader of the team, "Delia suspected there'd be an attack. I guess she was right as always." Emi perked up a bit at the mention of Delia and Dante felt a pinch of guilt. So she wasn't trouble after all.

"You work with Delia?" She asked, things were surely getting more and more interesting, especially after Seiko nodded.

"I was told to take you guys to Japan," Seiko informed the team, "now." He emphasized and Dante looked a bit worried. He didn't completely trust Delia, even though Zhalia did. Still, he knew they needed to go to Japan, one way or another. He had decided it on the plane and he wasn't going to turn back now.

Emi was surprisingly excited. She had been aching to meet Delia again and the abnormal titans seemed really interesting. She just hoped that she could learn more about them.

"Alright." Dante said, "How do we get there? Our plane blew up, thanks to Kelton." Seiko sighed.

"We'll get there." He replied, "But, why don't we wait for Zhalia to wake up?" he requested and saw how Dante looked at him alarmed. They never said what everyone's name was. Seiko rolled his eyes, unwilling to give obvious answers even though it was necessary.

"I know Zhalia from five years ago and Delia told me everyone's names." Seiko said, seeing Dante's reaction, "I know that you don't trust us completely." Dante nobbed and averted his gaze to Zhalia. Seiko knew everyone's names and everything that happened five years ago. So, what else did he know?

"Dante, we're not going back to Venice then, are we?" Emi piped up as Dante laid Zhalia gently on the ground. Dante shook his head.

"I guess not." He said, "Why?" Emi bit her lip. She wanted the team to know as little about her as she could, but well, this couldn't hurt her, right.

"My mom doesn't know about the Seeker world." Emi replied, "I should call her and tell her I won't be back for a while. The thing is, I don't have a phone." Dante nodded, showing his understanding.

"Why don't you borrow mine?" Dante asked the raven haired girl. She nodded and Dante pulled his phone out of his pocket and offered it to her. She gave him a smile and stepped away.

Emi dialed her mom's phone number into Dante's phone and put it up to her ear. She got just what she thought, voicemail. Mom was working, again.

"Hey Mom, It's me, Emi. I'm borrowing a friend's phone. I just want to say that I won't be back for a while. Alright, I love you, bye." Emi left her message and returned the phone to its owner, a light pinch of guilt following her message. Her mum is working so hard and she can't be there anymore, but then again, this was her own choice.

Den watched Emi from a distance. She shut the phone and slowly walked back over. He had questions to ask her, like how she knew about Kyho the Tracker and why she was looking for him. For a new seeker she seems to know quite much. Maybe she was trained through books like Sophie, before entering the field. Emi appeared next to him.

"Hey." Den said, "You said you were looking for Kyho the Tracker. Why?" Emi perked up a bit. Her eyes glow with a hint of excitement.

"I heard he was a lot like Jacob." She replied, "I wanted to know exactly why." She shortly replied, her mind preoccupied by the thought of her mother being alone and Den nobbed, seeing that the raven haired seeker wasn't fond of talking at the moment. He wasn't really either, but he had to distract himself from all that happened and prepare the ground for all that is about to follow. Seiko will be asked many questions and Den is not sure he will like the answers.

"She will wake up soon" Seiko announced as he inspected Zhalia's calm sleeping figure, before turning to the team serious.

"Before I take you to Japan I need to ask something to Lady Sophie Casterwill" he said as he looked for Sophie with his eyes. The mentioned female stepped forward and eyed him with curiosity.

"What might be the question?" Sophie demanded to know, her expression serious. That guy saved them and Zhalia, so she feels grateful towards him, but she has a bad feeling about that visit in Japan. She might not know it, but Emi had that exact same feeing the moment she joined the team.

"How long have you been aware of the existence of my clan, the Red Dragons?" Seiko asked and Sophie blinked, having expected something entirely different.

"I just found out a few days ago, but how is that required information? What does it change?" she asked in bewilderment and Seiko barely nobbed.

"Considering your answer, it changes nothing. Now, I need someone to carry Zhalia and I want all of you to gather close" he ordered and they all gathered in a circle with Zhalia in Dante's arms.

Seiko nobbed at them and murmured some inaudible words for them. His fingertips started glowing light blue and he touched the foreheads of each team member, leaving a glowing blue fingerprint on them. The glow disappeared from his hands and he turned to Dante.

"I will cast a teleportation spell that will take us to your rooms in Japan. By the moment we arrive, you shall not leave the rooms until next morning unless it you are asked to and with my escort. Also, when we arrive, I only have 30 minutes available to answer to any questions of yours, only if I am allowed to of course. Now, is there any one left without a print, cause the spell shall affect only the ones who have it" he finished and checked their foreheads.

"Good, now let's get moving, time is not for waste" He said and murmured some words again. Before the team could blink their eyes, they were standing at a well decorated big living room with dark wooden floor, a glass wall with view of a forest and furniture made out of red skin, an aromatic candle giving a vanilla smell to the room.

The team took some time to inspect their new surroundings before turning to Seiko who was calmly standing in front of them, waiting for them to regain their composure after the spell.

"Your rooms are this way" he pointed at the second corridor in front of them "Two people in each room. Before we go to the rooms, I want you all to sit down and ask me whatever you want" he finished and the team took their seats right after.

Emi and Sophie were still feeling dizzy after the spell but tried their best to remain steady. Den was looking worriedly at his sister and Lok was gathering billion questions in his head. Meanwhile Dante stroked Zhalia's hair, before Lok asked the first question.

"Who was that Kelton guy, he said he was an ex Red Dragon?"

"He was the CI who betrayed our clan and led you to danger, as a punishment, his dragon was removed. Now I am guessing he seeks for lower forms of power to get revenge on Delia" he replied, a hint of harshness in his voice. " Right now he was after Zhalia, obviously, and specifically what his master wants and is under her possession" Seiko continued, answering more questions that what he was asked, clearly to close the subject and go back to his duties.

"Who is that master exactly?" Dante asked, placing Zhalia besides him and Seiko thought for a second.

"How much do you actually know?"

"My team only knows about your existence, your purpose and about the CI, I am aware of a summary of what happened five years ago. Zhalia only told me that she took something from a very dangerous guy and was asked by the Red Dragons to keep it." Dante informed with a small frown. Those people knew that giving her that object was putting her in danger. Yet they ignored that obvious fact and Dante wanted to know why.

The team eyed him, then Seiko, surprised with the revelation and signaled Seiko to share more about it. The Japanese long haired guy sighed, unwilling to recall the memories of the past, but continued anyway. They need to know.

"His master is known as Vladimir Askov. He was once a Red Dragon from Russia, hardworking and disciplined, until he turned his back on us and also turned his dragon black. No one knows how he actually did that, there are some stupid rumors that he sold his soul to the devil, but don't believe everything you hear out there. He kept using the powers of the Dark dragon to cause pain, destruction and pretty much what every villain wants to do, obviously. One of his many interests was the Seeker world and the titans. The object of his desire is a titan called Dario, titan of destruction. At least that's what would appear if you scanned his amulet with a holotome. He is the only abnormal titan who can be detected by holotome and another abnormality of his is that he can only bond with evil people, whether they possess magic or not. It could be anyone. Five years ago, Zhalia happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and got into a battle against him with Delia, who was after him. There were dark times back then for us Dragons. We managed to catch and restrain Vladimir, but we couldn't risk keeping the amulet here, so Zhalia took it with her and has been guarding it ever since. Fighting with our future leader, she won our trust and respect and since she became well known to our world, we gave her a whistle for her safety. I believe those information are enough for the moment" He finished his speech and stood up but Den stopped him.

"Wait! So, this Vladimir is now back? Did he escape your prison or something?" he asked, causing him to stop in his tracks.

"Short of… this is way worse" he replied before turning around to look straight in Den's eyes in order for him to see through his sharp stare how serious the matter is and that conversation is over.

"Hold on! Two more questions and then we are done! I promise!" Emi interrupted Seiko's departure as she stood beside Den. Seiko sighed heavily and looked at the female impatient.

"Make it quick"

"First, you said that this titan bonds with evil seekers right? Well, the Red Dragons here are not evil, why didn't you keep it? Second, do Dragons have a spell that blocks seeker magic, or specific kinds of magic, for example Casterwill magic?" Emi asked and Sophie looked at her surprised.

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask" she admitted and Emi smiled awkwardly.

"I-I just remembered you on the plane and thought I should ask" she tried to hide her discomfort from the suspicious jade eyes of Sophie, which she succeeded only when Seiko decided to answer and gathered the attention back at him.

"First, you heard yourself that Dragons are not pure, there can be evil hidden under a mask which turns out to be the face of people you will never suspect in your wildest dreams. Second, yes, we do have Magic Blocking spells, just in case. That's all for now, I shall let you rest." He ended the conversation and left the living room quietly like a shadow, leaving the team to the unfamiliar and terrifyingly simple environment.

Dante insisted on staying with Zhalia, so Sophie stayed with Emi –despite the forbidden Casterwill girl's desires to protest- and Lok with Den. Lok and Den wanted to leave the room and inspect their surroundings in and out of the building, but Dante decided it wouldn't be wise. They would be betraying Seiko's trust and risk their safety in an unknown environment.

The rooms were quite big, with big beds (though not for two persons but still too big for one) with soft furry red blankets, a cool wooden floor, a library, a fireplace, plants in every corner and a big Japanese designed round window which allowed fresh fragrant air from the forest to relieve their breathing system, the sounds coming from it either encouraged their sleep or made them believe there is a monster hiding in the nearby tree ready to attack them, at least that was Den making theories and trying to scare Lok with spooky stories.

The two male teenagers had that rare skill to not lose sign of positivity most of the time, something which Emi wishes she had at the moment. Just the trying to imagine the look on her face while observing the room made her believe that Sophie could see right through it and know everything about her at any moment. The strawberry haired female unpacked her stuff, got into her pajamas and kept talking about the events of the day. Only when she turned to face her dark haired companion did she notice that she was standing at the exact same spot she left her, fully dressed with her bag on her hand and breathing heavily. She looked very anxious, Sophie couldn't help but get lightly shook, but at the end she smiled kindly and justified her in her head.

"Hey, I know this must be too much for you. I mean, not only you are new to the seeker world but you were just forced into another one not even we had any awareness of. But don't worry; we will all stay together as a team. Nothing will happen to you, I promise!" Sophie encouraged the newest member of the team and Emi heaved a mental sigh of relief, knowing Sophie suspected nothing of her identity.

A little less nervous than before, she left her bag on the ground and smiled gratefully at Sophie.

"Thanks, I-uh… I feel a bit better now" she said, but not in a quite convincing way. Sophie could still detect nervousness in her voice, so she placed her hand in her shoulder,

"You can count on us Emi" she reassured her and Emi forced a smile again. This time, Sophie decided to stop and let the female digest the situation. They both went to their beds.

If Sophie could read Emi's mind, she would know that she was thinking of two things. 'Will I have been able to count on you if you knew the truth about me Sophie?' she asked herself, her mind going to the worst case scenario. Yet another thought came to her mind and made her relax, more that she thinks it should make her. For some reason, despite her cold attitude, Delia affects Emi in a way she cannot explain. She feels sage around her. She believes that Delia wouldn't care if she was a forbidden Casterwill or not and has no reason to explain that belief of hers.

Sophie was wrong about what she said. She wasn't forced into this world. She willingly came. Something about the dragons… made her feel safe.

Little did she know, she actually wasn't.

* * *

The weather was cold that night, yet Delia only wore her usual attire without her red leather jacket. She liked to feel the cold on her skin, especially after witnessing such a warm scene.

Dante Vale was at the same room with Zhalia Moon. He was standing on the bed besides her sleeping figure, simply staring at her and caressing her hair, whispering to her sweet words that Delia could hear even from this far. Cursing her Dragon and her ninja training for giving her such skills, she looked at the moon in the sky. Judging by its position, it must be midnight, time for her to go back to her room and continue her plans.

The Huntik team didn't know that they were sleeping in the guest rooms of the Japanese temple of the Leaders family, her home. Jumping of the tree branch she was standing on, she landed on another one in a higher level and kept doing that until she reached her room. She got inside from her round window and casted the very well-known to her protection spell again. Without averting her gaze from the dark night sky, without turning around from the window, she heard footsteps coming to her directions, footsteps that have no sound to a common seeker's ears.

"You were right, they were attacked" a male voice announced and Delia merely let out a humming sound.

"You know the others won't be welcomed by everyone, don't you?" he asked, a kind of a stupid action from him. He knows her too well to not suspect she has already predicted that.

"That's why I am counting on you for their safety" she coldly said and felt how he frowned out of curiosity.

"I thought you weren't going to protect them"

"I am not going to protect them from our enemy. Our clan is not their enemy and shouldn't be. No one should misbehave" she said and turned around to get a full view of her bodyguard, standing in a shoulder like position, waiting for orders.

"I don't need you anymore today, go and get some rest" she placed those words which at normal circumstances show care to others in such a way it sounded like a command.

"The leader doesn't need me, but I have a feeling you need me now Delia." He said, his expression softening and his posture relaxing.

"No Seiko, I don't" she said "I only need to make a plan and to do that I need time. I got plenty of it now in the night and I don't need you for it"

"You know I won't be able to sleep knowing you are up all night, pushing your worries aside, putting the leader above Delia." He said, this time took a few steps closer, but she remained indifferent.

"The Leader IS Delia, Seiko. I don't need you, really I don't." she emphasized and Seiko sighed.

"The Leader shouldn't be you, you should be the leader. You are trying to form yourself to the perfect leader and fail to see that you are perfect just the way you are. I know you Delia, the real you, and you are perfect in any way. I want you to know I am here when you need me and I feel like you need me now. Something happened, right?" He asked, having fully let his guard down, waiting for her to finally give in and talk to him as Delia, as the young, sweet Delia he had gotten to know when he was a kid. But she stared right into his amethyst eyes with no emotion.

"If that's what you think, then you have a bad intuition. Goodnight Seiko"

That was her last word which indicated that's conversation was over, but Seiko stood on his tracks, not taking his eyes of her blade ones, which cut right through his heart. When did he lose track of those eyes? When did he become one of the many who can't see the emotion in her? When did she change like that?

Kelton's words echoed to his mind 'She will never see you in the way you see her…she is just using you…you are just that bitch's puppy'. Even at that moment, where he felt like every link that connected them was gone, he refused to believe it was like that. At least he wanted to.

Unable to restrain himself, he dared not just o touch her, but hugged her. He pulled her right into his arms in such speed, so that she won't have the time to read his eyes and predict what he was about to do. Delia protested. She punched, kicked him, but he was used to pain just like her.

But at the end…she didn't let go. She just sighed and hesitant, she placed her wrists in his shoulders and just stayed there.

That was it. That was all he needed.

The woman in his arms is still the Delia he knows, the Delia he loves.

 **Irene Rays A/N: Hello to all my sexy cookies! Chapter five is up. I want to thank everyone who has been reading and reviewing this story, I am hoping it continues to entertain you.**

 **Soooooo, Kelton is out there and God knows what he is planning…or maybe, what his master is planning. Ladies and gentleman, we have our villain, Vladimir Askov! And Zhalia has the titan of Destruction under her possession. Where does she keep it? Did she leave it back to Venice? Darios didn't bond with her when she was working with the Organization…which means that Zhalia was never truly evil. Of course, we know about that now, but she had no awareness of it back in those days. You think it affected her at some point? Where is Vladimir now? How did he escape? What is Delia's mom constantly trying to tell her about her dad? Right now you can conclude that her mom and the elders imprisoned Vladimir who had probably knocked out her father so he remembers nothing… but what does he know that can help? Will Delia's plans have success and keep the Huntik team safe? Will the other Red Dragons cause troubles? Will Emi manage to keep her secret? What will her interactions with Delia be like? Aaaaand…. How do you like the idea of Seiko and Delia? Many things can be guessed about their pasts, but Delia is the Leader now….**

 **Anyways, that's all. Never forget to smile and stay awesome!**

 **Lots of love from Irene Rays**

 **Carter Casterwill's A/N: Hello my lovely hot dogs! How is everyone?**

 **So, chapter 5! *celebration music plays in the background* When I started out on here, I never thought I would be writing a story with Irene Rays and we've made it to chapter 5! Man, am I proud of us! I was just re reading our first story we wrote together, the one where we got the plot for this one, the other day.**

 **Anyway, what do you think of our villian, Vladimir? Well, Dante seems to be the only one out of the team, besides Zhalia, that knows what happened, an I don't think the adults are going to share what happened then. What about Emi? Will she keep her secret. Especially now the she's sharing a room with Sophie. What about the red dragons? So far, we've only met Seiko. So, what are the others like? And what do you think of Delia and Seiko, are they good? We know that Zhalia has Darios, but why did Vladimir want it? I mean, besides taking over the world. And Kelton said the Emi felt familiar, why?**

 **Well, I'm not Irene, so my questions aren't the best, but I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. Don't forget to leave a super awesome comment about how much you love this story!**

 ***smile* say awesome!**

 **With all Huntik and awesomeness,**

 **-Carter Casterwill**


	6. Title Goes Here

**Chapter 6**

 **Title goes here**

 **In Emi's dream world**

Emi looked around the place. Fog was floating around in the air, making it nearly impossible to see anything. She could make out a few things, like trees, lots and lots of trees.

Emi tugged at a strand of her black hair and pressed her lips tightly together. This wasn't right. How did she get here? A minute ago, she was in the room with Sophie, who turns out, is a big talker. But how did she get here?

She heard footsteps behind her and turned around. What Emi saw made her let out a small surprised gasp. There stood her father, Thomas Casterwill.

"I'm dreaming." Emi thought, "I have to be dreaming. Dad's dead. I know he's dead." And just to prove her point, she pinched her arm. To her surprise, she could feel it.

She watched as her father step into the clearing she was in. Thomas's hand was up at his neck playing with a necklace around it. Emi quickly identified it as the necklace that she had given to him just before he left, on this same trip, the one where he died on.

"Is this where he died?" Emi asked herself softly, "They said he died in a forest, it looked like he had been burned to death." She looked around the forest. Yep, it was just as she had heard it being described.

Thomas slipped his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a photo. Emi could see what it was. The family photo he always had with him. The one where Emi's 7 year old self had started a water fight with her father and her mother joined in soon. The next door neighbors had seen them having a good time and took a picture of them, printed it out, and gave it to them the next day. Emi smiled to think about how they were all soaking wet afterwards.

"I'll be home soon, Emi." Thomas said, "I remember my promise to you. I hope this is only a small mission. I have much to tell you and much to show you. This power I have discovered may show you a new path. One other than the Casterwills have given you." Questions ran through Emi's head. What path? What had the Casterwills wanted for her? Why were they telling her father what his daughter could and couldn't do? But she didn't think much about that, though. She never had enough time.

An auger frost flew out from the forest and hit Thomas in the chest. He looked up at the forest, on full alert now. Emi saw the look of determination on his face, as if he wanted to take on anyone in his way, anyone stopping him from completing his goal. Emi knew that look. It was the same one she wore when she was younger. It was the one she saw on Dante's face when he fought Kelton.

As if he knew that Emi was thinking about him, Kelton stepped into the clearing. Thinking he probably could see her; she gasped and stepped into the forest. Thomas looked over Kelton in amazement.

"I knew it!" Thomas exclaimed, "They are in Japan." He gave a smile. Kelton sneered at him.

"But you, Casterwill, are not permitted here!" Kelton replied ever so casually. He raised his hand with another spell forming.

Emi furrowed her eyebrows. Why was her father not permitted here? And why was Kelton here anyway? How could he have been a traitor ever since her father's times with no one finding out? And what's wrong with her father being a Casterwill? Could it be that the Red Dragons dislike Casterwills? That would explain Seiko's question to Sophie, but why? The idea sounds ridiculous, Seiko let Sophie in Japan. Maybe it's not her father being a Casterwill but being the person he is that Kelton despises. Still the question remains, why?

Kelton shot the spell in his hand at Thomas. The red light hit him right in the chest, next to the heart. Emi gasped as she felt the same power hit her right in the same place, but when she looked around, she saw no one.

Heat over took her body and she dropped to the ground. Back over in the clearing, Thomas did the same. It didn't take a genius to say that this was the same spell that Zhalia nearly died from. Neither Emi nor Thomas was fond of dying, but when either of them tried to use powers, they couldn't.

'The blocking spell.' Emi thought, gripping her chest as another wave of heat washed over her. As a mostly cool power based Seeker, the heat was so much more intense for her.

Over in the clearing, Thomas was feeling the same. What was with this guy? Did he just shoot at everyone that came by? Or, did he just not like her dad? Whatever it was, Thomas didn't know.

"What is your business here?" Kelton spat, looking at Thomas with disgust in his eyes. Thomas and Emi both fell to their knees. Now she knew what he had been talking about when Kelton had said it was a torturous way to die.

"I wanted to talk to your leader." Thomas replied, the heat becoming more unbearable at every word. "I wanted to..." But he never finished. Both him and Emi gasped out in pain and fell to the ground on their backs.

The picture clenched in Thomas's hand became visible. Kelton noticed it and walked over to him.

"Who's in that photo?" Kelton asked, leaning down to pick it up, "Your family? Maybe I should pay them a visit?" Just before he touched it, though, Thomas managed to call one power. The photo burned up right before Kelton's eyes.

Another wave of heat washed over Emi and Thomas, and if they were ever connected in this dream, it was dissolved for a minute, because Emi let a loud scream of pain. This had to be a dream. It had to be.

The heat intensified more and more as Kelton walked away laughing. Emi and Thomas continued to burn up on the ground. Emi kept letting out loud screams as the heat became far, far, far more than she could bear. Burn marks appeared on both Thomas's and Emi's skin.

"I'm sorry, Sarah." Thomas whispered as Emi let out another scream, "I hope that you can hear me. I really am sorry for never being around. I just wanted the best for Emi." Emi squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She could hear her father talking. It was making her cry accompanied with the heat.

"Emi" Thomas continued, "Take care of your mom. I know it's a lot on a 7 year old, but please do it. And no matter what they tell you about your powers, the titans, never believe them! You can' trust those Casterwills." And with that, Emi let out another ear-piercing scream.

 **Back in the real world**

Emi's eyes shot wide open. The heat hadn't fully disappeared yet, leaving her face bright red. Her breath was rapid and judging from the messy bed, she had been thrashing in her sleep.

Sophie was watching the raven haired girl. She had woken up to screams and quickly had found out it was Emi. But no matter how hard she tried, the young Casterwill couldn't do anything to wake up Emi. That had just made Sophie more worried for her new team member. The girl had sounded like she was in pain.

"Are you alright?" Sophie asked Emi, full of concern, as the raven haired girl walked over to the open window to get some fresh air.

It was early in the morning, so the heat of the day hadn't settled in yet, letting a nice breeze of cool air run through the windows and gently play with the Forbidden girl's black hair.

'Man.' Emi thought to herself, 'How long has it been since I thought of myself as the Forbidden girl? …A few days maybe?' But she failed to remember when it had been, with the advents of her dream filling her head. What was that about anyway?

"Are you alright, Emi?" Sophie asked Emi again, standing next to her by the window. "You were screaming in your sleep. It sounded like you were in pain. You had a bad dream?" Emi sighed and leaned against the railing of the window with her arms crossed. Her pale skin was almost returned to normal, but feeling of being burned alive stayed right with her, and Emi had a feeling it wasn't going to go away any time soon.

"It was just a dream, Sophie." Emi replied carefully, planning out her words into two sentences, not wanting to talk to the Casterwill more than needed. "I'm sorry for waking you." Counting in her mind, that was only eleven words. And she was going to keep it that way.

"Whatever it was, it's over now, and you are safe… from whatever happened there." Sophie replied, knowing she was pressing Emi's buttons, but Sophie knew that if she kept going, she might find out what was wrong. "I was worried. I thought something had happened to you." Emi sighed and started playing with the hem of her pajama sleeve. Sophie wasn't making this any easier than she had wished it would be. It was already hard enough.

"I'm fine." Emi replied quickly, "Perfect even." Sophie sighed and looked out the window. The boys were right next to them and she could hear them talking about Den 'seeing' something last night, but she knew the he was just trying to scare Lok. They would never grow out of their childish ways.

"Emi, you're obviously not fine." Sophie shot back, coping Emi's position, "Why don't you try to talk to me, get it out of your system? Come on, I don't bite." Emi froze. She knew Sophie was just being caring and a good teammate, but she doesn't wish to continue this conversation and she has to phrase her desire the righ way.

"Emi, I know you're on edge with me. Why?" Sophie asked, trying to be as polite as she could while still getting at what she actually wanted. She had noticed from the very first moment that she was tense around her. She almost freaked out when Sophie suggested they go to her house after the mission "I know that the first time you heard my name, you tensed up. I know that for some reason, you never say more than like twenty words to me. I know you wanted to protest when I offered to stay with you. Why?" Emi looked down at the ground. Sophie was suspecting her of something. She knew it; her infamous gut told her so. And that little voice inside her head was now debating with her common sense. In truth, Emi was at war with herself.

"I'm just not use to being around people, that's all." This time it was ten words. Her new goal was no more than eleven words to the Casterwill girl. If Lucas ever found out, she didn't want to know the consequences of that… most likely, something atrocious.

"You seem fine around the boys." Sophie replied, looking over at the raven haired girl.

"Maybe it's just girls my age!" Emi shouted at her. Then, done with this conversation, she went over to her bag and pulled out her clothes for the day. A light blue short sleeved shirt with jean shorts. Then, she grabbed her hairbrush and things and made her way to the bathroom.

Sophie stood rooted to her spot. She expected some sort of reaction, but not have Emi blow up in her face.

Sophie sighed and went to quickly change her clothes. She had almost made it to her bag when she heard crying coming from the bathroom. She froze and walked over to the door. Emi was crying now… probably all because she had insisted too much. Yet she couldn't suppress her curiosity. It was odd how Emi felt uncomfortable around her for no reason, but insisted was not the solution.

"Emi?" Sophie asked, trying the door but quickly found it locked, "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" Sophie heard Emi suck in her breath. Her crying stopped almost instantly.

"Leave me alone!" Emi cried out, you could hear her voice breaking, "I don't want to talk to anyone right now!" Sophie was taken aback by Emi, but she couldn't blame the girl. Sophie was used to be taken in strange worlds and into strange things, but this was new for Emi. Accompanied with her most likely nightmare and Sophie being too curious, she must feel pushed to the edge... and she has been a seeker for a day!

"Alright." Sophie replied, walking away from the door, "I'm sorry." Then, she a little louder called, "You can trust all of us. I hope you can realize that. Whatever it is, I hope you share it. It'll make the burden lighter." Emi sat on the toilet and cried harder. This was the perfect way to wake up in the morning.

 **Over with Dante and Zhalia**

Zhalia groaned and sat up, holding her head in her right hand. Dante was instantly by her side.

"Hey," he said, as Zhalia rubbed her temples, "How you feeling?" She groaned again and swung her legs over the side of her bed. Dante sat on the side of the bed next to her.

"Like I nearly just died." Zhalia replied, smiling on the inside that Dante was by her side now. Dante gave a small chuckle. Zhalia suppressed a smile forming on her lips. She wanted to be sarcastic, but she knew she failed.

"Seiko said you were going wake up soon yesterday, but I got a little worried when you didn't." Dante said as he watched Gareon invoke himself and appear by Zhalia's side. Zhalia gave him a pet on the head before turning back to Dante.

"Don't tell me you've been up all night!" She exclaimed, knowing that the stubborn auburn haired man would do just that if she was in danger like that. Dante laughed.

"Kind of" He replied casually, "I managed to get a wink of sleep but woke up an hour ago. I heard someone screaming. It sounded like Emi, but I believe Sophie has it under control." Zhalia nodded before a look of realization crossed over her face.

"We're in Japan, aren't we?" She asked, finally noticing her surroundings. She watched Dante nod. "Great! They weren't supposed to know! They weren't supposed to come!" Dante just let her continue her ranting for the next few minutes. He knew that she had kept this a secret for far too long, but it hurt him to know that she kept this secret from him, especially one this big.

There was a knock on the door, and Lok poked his head in. Zhalia shut up and quickly went to go change into something else. Gareon followed.

"Hey, Dante." Lok said in his normal energetic voice, "Can we come in?" Dante nodded and he and Den walked into the room, shutting the door behind them.

Apart from them being idiots, Dante knew that Lok and Den were kind. They'd never do anything if you told them not too. And Dante loved them for it. In fact, he even started thinking of them as his brothers. Sophie too, and he was sure that with time, Emi would too.

Emi. The girl was a mystery for Dante, like Zhalia, but different. Emi seemed to like the human company, but was so jumpy and skittish around them. She seemed a bit secretive this one day he has known her and that made Dante wonder, what exactly the raven haired Seeker hiding was.

It wasn't long until Zhalia joined them in a light gray cropped tee shirt and black shorts. She sat on the edge of the bed again. Den seemed to have convinced Lok that he had seen something last night and now both boys were telling me about it, speaking at about 5 thousand miles per hour. Zhalia rolled her eyes and shot the boys a look when they tried to convince her about it too. Dante just shook his head at everything they said. They were ridiculous.

Soon, Sophie joined them in their little conversation. Dante noticed, though, that she was alone and his newest protégé wasn't with her, as he thought she would be. They shouldn't be alone in this place.

"Where's Emi?" Dante asked about 2 minutes later, concerned for the raven haired girl. Sophie looked over at him and just sighed. Lok and Den looked over at each other and exchanged looks, obviously embarrassed that they had forgotten their newest teammate again. Zhalia now also seemed to notice that Emi was gone too and was now sitting straight up.

"She got mad at me earlier when I asked her if she was alright." Sophie said the obvious annoyance laced in her voice, "She didn't seem alright, so I kept asking. She got mad at me, kinda blew up in my face, and locked herself in the bathroom. I didn't bother talking to her anymore. She said she wanted to be alone." Sophie concluded her little speech and Zhalia couldn't stop the smile growing on her face. At least someone could get the princess to stop talking to them.

"You guys stay here." Dante said, standing up from Zhalia's bed, "I'm going to check on Emi. Just be calm and try not killing anyone, Zhalia." A smile found its way to Zhalia's lips as the rest of the team broke out into a fit of laughter, remembering the day that Lok had gotten onto Zhalia's nerves so much during a mission that she literally chased him around the whole forest and then accidentally popped his arm out of socket. She claimed she wasn't trying to hurt Lok, let alone, kill him, but now, everyone found it funny to use.

Dante slipped out the door and walked down to Sophie and Emi's room. He knocked on the door, but didn't hear anyone in there. Getting even more concerned for Emi, he opened the door and slipped quietly into the room.

"Emi?" Dante asked, looking around the room, "Are you alright?" He heard a faint replied of yes coming from the bathroom. Dante walked over to the door. He went to open it, but remembered Sophie had said it was locked.

"Are you sure?" He asked again. Emi replied yes again, but Dante knew she wasn't. He could hear the fear and sadness held back in her voice. She obviously wasn't okay.

"Emi, it's just me." Dante said, wanting to know what the matter with his newest protégé was, "There's no one else here in the room. Will you please open up the door?" There was a minute of silence as Emi debated whether she should open up the door or not. Dante didn't know why she was so distant from the team, but couldn't blame her for that. She doesn't know them well enough to be open with all subjects. He knew Emi was a sweet girl at heart; she just needed someone to cox her out of her shell. She was just shy.

"You promise there's no one else there?" Emi called back after a minute. Dante smiled and, just for show, he looked around the room.

"I promise." Dante replied, turning back to the door again, "Now, will you let me in?" Slowly, the door creaked open to reveal the pale Seeker standing behind it. Her eyes were red and tear stains ran down her cheeks, and her skin was tainted the faintest bit red. Dante smiled warmly at her.

"Now," He said as Emi stepped aside, not wanting to leave the bathroom, "Do you want to tell me what's going on and what happened this morning with Sophie?" Emi shifted her weight to her right leg and rubbed her hand against her right arm. She averted her gaze to the ground.

"Is she mad at me?" Emi asked, hoping that the strawberry blond female wasn't upset at her sudden outburst. Dante stepped into the bathroom, but blocked the door so Emi couldn't lock it again.

"I don't believe so." Dante replied, putting a hand on Emi's shoulder, "I think she believes you're mad at her." Emi furrowed her eyebrows together, confused on why a Casterwill would care about that. They were normally too prideful for that.

"Why are you locking yourself in the bathroom?" Dante asked. Emi sighed and shifted from foot to foot, rubbing her hands together. She just loved being the center of attention. It never helped her gut, which was screaming at her nonstop. And that voice inside her head didn't stop nagging at her, telling her that they didn't trust her.

"I don't want to leave." Emi replied as truthfully as she could. That was the truth, she didn't want to leave. She didn't what to risk Sophie asking more questions. She didn't want to reveal her secret. She didn't want to face the world today. All she wanted was to cut her off from the world and think about the dream she had.

"Does it have anything to do with the screaming this morning?" Dante asked her. He watched her tense up under his hand. Dante guessed she didn't think that her scream traveled that far.

"I'm sorry for waking you." Emi said truthfully, "I never intended to wake anyone up." Dante offered her a smile again as she dropped her head to the floor again.

"There is no need to apologize." Dante replied as Emi sat on the counter top, "I'm trained to do that. You're completely fine. Now, do you want to tell me what happened?" he requested and Emi shook her head ferociously.

"No," Emi said quickly, "I don't." If she did, she would have to explain how her father was a Casterwill. That would lead to explain her as a Casterwill, leading that to explaining about Forbidden Casterwills. So, no, she wasn't going to explain.

Dante sighed and thought for a second. He wasn't going to insist, he was smart enough to know that's not how things work. If you want someone to trust you, give them time and silence, let them now you are here to actually listen and not to interview them.

"Alright then, but if you have a bad dream again, don't hesitate to tell us. You are not obliged to reveal its content, just be close. We got to stick together, especially here" Dante finished and Emi jerked her head up, relieved that he could understand somehow and not push her. She nodded, forcing a smile on her lips.

"Would you like to join us? Lok and Den have opened quite a… interesting conversation. I promise Sophie is not mad at you" he suggested and the raven haired girl shook her head and gave him a polite smile.

"No thank you, I'll just stay here to calm a little bit. I promise I will tell you if something happens. "She assured him and Dante chose to trust her, going back to the room with the rest of his team.

However, Emi didn't stay in her room. She walked circles in it for a while, thinking about her dream and trying to get it out of her head, until her gaze got stuck out of the window. Only then did she notice how high the room lied, they must be in some short of temple.

She knew at that moment that she had found a way to distract herself. The Red Dragons, Japan, she was so keen on learning about them and so happy to be here, even though it seemed terrifying for other seekers. She feels safer here rather than the world of ordinary seekers for some reason she cannot identify. Her gut reacts positively to the idea of being between members of the clan, especially Delia.

Delia…will she meet her soon? How will she be like? What are her plans? What about this Seiko guy? Will he show up again? He said they are not allowed to go out without his escort so she assumed they have to wait for him to arrive and give them orders. But heck, she couldn't wait. She wanted to go out there and distract herself.

Letting emotions guide her, she tiptoed her way out of the room and after taking some random turns, she found herself in front of some stairs which lead to a very crowded floor, something not beneficial for her who wanted to avoid people. She heard them say something about some rebels being released, but Emi payed no mind and decided to find another way out.

Eventually, she decided to climb her way down, as dangerous as it seemed, but she managed to land in front of the building after jumping from one tree to the other. They are indeed in a temple, a huge spectacular red, gold and green Japanese temple full of dragon carvings and statues. She found herself mesmerized by its glory, but had to move away after she saw a series of men dressed in samurai attires marching out of the building synchronized with perfectly balanced steps. Seiko was guiding them.

She wanted to hide behind a golden dragon statue but was forced to move again, seeing people gathering around the temple.

Unaware of where her feet where taking her, she managed to run around the temple and arrive at a beautiful crystal clear lake, about 2000 meters away from the temple's backyard. The sight of the calm waters, the waterlilies and the soft golden sand on her feet were so relaxing, she almost forgot the world around her and failed to notice the three boys dressed in dark kimonos hiding behind some bushes, not far from her, their footstep inaudible to the human ear. Her eyes were closed and her mind empty at the moment.

Only when one of them kicked a rock besides her did she realize they had surrounded her. Startled, she abruptly turned her head to face them. They were young Asian boys, probably at her age, one of them had a scar on his cheek, the other wore a mouth mask and the third one, the one on the center had a bandana and a smug grin on his face, eyeing her with contempt.

"So it is true, Seiko Hamate, one of the strongest and respectable dragon has brought a Casterwill with our new visitors" the one with the bandana said mockingly and Emi felt frightened just by looking at him. He couldn't possibly mean her; no one knows she is a Casterwill. Then… could they mean Sophie?

"I-I- uh I don't know what you are talking about" Emi managed to utter as she got up and realized how miserably short she is compared to the trio. The one with the scar smirked and came closer to her.

"Oh I believe you do shorty" he teased her before his look and posture claimed a threatening image.

"I will not let you harm her" she shouted at them, trying to look brave when the presence of those guys made the burning sensation returns.

"Oh, you thought we were talking about this pathetic ordinary one. No sweetie, we are talking about you." The guy with the face mask spoke, his voice deeper than she had expected.

'Ordinary… could they know?' Emi felt a cold sensation rush to her spine, they couldn't possibly know.

"Just think about it brothers, if we had a Forbidden Casterwill at our side, the people will listen to us, to our own ideas about the future. We will finally be appreciated" the one with the scar spoke and Emi realized they were too close and if she took one more step forward, she would fall into the lake.

"Exactly Yamane, with her at our side, Delia shall never claim the title of the master dragon." The bandana guy said before locking his pitch black eyes with Emi's "So what do you say sweetie, want to help us take out that bitch and do something good about our nation. You will be rewarded of course, what more does a Forbidden like you want than recognition?"

This time, Emi felt the burning sensation at its apex. Whether they were using a spell or not, she could feel herself on fire inside out. They know she is a forbidden; they want to take out Delia –whatever that means- and don't look like they'll accept no as an answer. After repeating their words in her head and felt fire rise in her, but this time her own. They know about her and want to kill Delia; she can't risk her secret being revealed or Delia getting killed.

"No! I will never join you" she shouted and watched how all three of them sighed and decorated their faces with a threatening frown and a deadly glare.

"Wrong choice sweetie" the bandana guy said and as if this was a code between the three, three fireballs surrounded the men's fists. Having found her strength again, Emi used Hyper stride to jump far from the lake, far enough to have space to move, successfully dodging their fireballs.

She sometime dodging their spells, trying to make them run out of energy, but those guys looked restless. She should have seen this coming; they are Red Dragons after all, but she is also a Forbidden Casterwill, she has her own aces on her sleeve.

"Dematide! " Emi shouted the unfamiliar to other seekers spell that shot a wave of force to the boys, which they dodged with ease but she could sense the one with the scar losing a countable amount of energy to form a shield against her spell. Using her forbidden spells for her advantage, she managed to cause some damage on them, but not enough to be considered important. She thought she had the situation under control, until the bandana guy drew out a katana.

She was too busy trying to avoid getting hit by the sword on his hands; she didn't manage to dodge a fire spell from the guy with the mask that sent her flying to a nearby tree, hitting her spine. The pain on her back was accompanied by an awful feeling of lack, she was exhausted.

The boys lit their fists on fire and approached her threateningly, ready to strike. The girl felt weak, she couldn't even form a shield, her cold sweat creating a contradiction with the burning sensation in her that reminded of her dream and was adding to her fear.

But the hit never came. All of a sudden, the guy with the scar, Yamane, was floating and landed with force in a hard rock, hitting his head and falling unconscious. Before Emi could blink and the boys gasp in surprise, a blond figure with black jeans and red leather jacket stood protectively in front of Emi, drawing her katana out elegantly.

The other two frowned in displeasure upon seeing her.

"Of course she has to ruin our plans" the bandana guy complained and the blond one held a cold expression.

"It's me you wish to get rid of. Men up and say what you have to say, do what you have to do in my presence, not behind my back cowards."

"That's it!" the bandana guy growled and was ready to dash at Delia with his sharp blade, obviously enraged by her attitude but the guy with the mouth mask stopped him.

"Hiro stop! We don't want to lose our heads, do we? I hate to admit it but we are no match for her" he admitted and the bandana guy, Hiro, only frowned more instead of putting some reason to his head, even though he knew as well that he was no much for the upcoming leader of the clan. Yet his anger was unstoppable.

"Ryuzuke, we have to face her!" the bandana guy, Hiro insisted. Meanwhile Delia remained indifferent –on alert and cold- waiting for their disagreement to come to an end.

"You want to get yourself killed? We don't have the rest with us Hiro, this is a wasted battle" the guy with the mouth mask Ryuzuke, tried to reason Hiro, looking way les threatening than before and definitely wiser. Hiro growled in anger, admitting that his partner was correct.

"Another time scum" he warned, shooting Delia one last glance before carrying Yamane and disappearing in the thick trees. Only when their figures were out of sight, Delia's posture changed and she turned to face a rather shocked and amazed Emi.

'They don't even dare to fight her. Just how strong is she? And she is the upcoming leader? Does that make her a Dragon Princess or something?' Emi thought to herself. She could feel Delia's piercing gaze scanning her for injuries and even though it was as cold as it was a few seconds ago, Emi could see it from a different perspective. She saw strength, confidence, professionalism, things she wishes so bad she had.

"Are you alright?" she coldly asked her, remaining unaffected by hers wide eyes, displaying her sock.

"I-I think so" Emi struggled to utter while suppressing the rain off emotions pouring over her. Seeing Delia was one of the very first things she wanted to do when she came to Japan and here she was, exactly as she remembers her. Emi had so many questions to make about her clan, about what she is planning to do with the team, about how can new seekers like her help and strangely, she even considered asking Delia about what she saw on her dream. The unexplained feeling of familiarity awoke in her senses. It bothered her that she couldn't find a reason why she feels like that around a person she has only seen once in her lifetime, yet she doesn't dislike that at all.

"Good" Delia replied "Then you better go back to your room, me and Seiko shall visit you in a while" she announced and turned to leave but Emi stopped her

"Wait!" she shouted "I- I don't know the way back, I took random turns around the temple till I get there and I would like to avoid the front door if possible" she explained and Delia heaved a sigh, realizing she has no other choice than to take her there.

"Alright, but don't leave again, I am not a tour guide, I got work to do" Delia exclaimed sharply and started walking towards the temple, Emi following her.

"Don't worry, I won't bother you much, I just have a billion questions to ask" Emi playfully said while happily walking besides Delia who rolled her eyes to heavens

"Oh boy" she muttered and mentally prepared herself for the 'interview' the young seeker had in her mind. She had hard time listening to her because her mind traveled back to the moment she passed by the lake. Before Emi was hit, she used a spell. She was too far to hear the name at that moment, but she felt a familiar rush after witnessing the light blue hue forming in Emi's hands. The sense was something way too familiar, something Delia knows very well.

This spell… it has to be Forbidden Casterwill magic.

 **Irene Rays A/N: Hello to all my sexy beautiful aliens**

 **Next chap is up and I am hoping you still enjoy this story**

 **Awesome people keep coming in this fandom and I have to say, I am proud of us.**

 **Questioning part… Emi saw in her dream that Kelton killed her dad…. Was this just a dream? Oh hell no it wasn't, which world do we live in? The real question is why did Kelton kill her dad? What was he after, what did he do that enraged Kelton? What is the relationship between Red Dragons and Casterwills and more specifically… Forbidden Casterwills? Delia recognized Emi's spell…. And those three rebels said that if they had a Casterwill, their voice would be heard….why? What's wrong with forbidden Casterwills and why are they called like that? How is this all connected to the book which led to Emi's "doom"? What are Delia's plans? Why was Seiko gathering so many samurai? What is going to happen?**

 **That's all my dear living beings**

 **Have a beautiful day**

 **Never forget to smile and stay awesome**

 **Lots of love from Irene Rays**

 ***Carter Casterwill has no author's note because Irene had asked everything and stuff. All she wants to say is thanks for reading***


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